Cold Day in July
by the1koolkitty
Summary: Sequel to Ready to Run: HPYGO Crossover. Diana et all start their second year at Hogwarts, and, of course, more danger is there waiting for them... COMPLETED, SEQUEL POSTED
1. Author's Note

**Cold Day in July:**

_The Harry Potter Books, Revised with Original Characters and the Yu-Gi-Oh cast_

_**Book Two: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets**_

Disclaimer from Kitty:

My screen name isn't Kazuki Takahashi or J.K. Rowling, is it? In that case, I don't own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh. However, I do own Diana "Dare" Randall and Takara "Kara" Rozene, and I partially own Kitty Carson (originally created for SGCred's fanfic, _Shy But Sweet Wanting_). Melisanne is complete property of SGCred, and I'm just technically borrowing her. This is the sequel to Ready to Run, my crossover version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and I hope you enjoy it. But even if you don't, you must review! I like feedback, especially as a side to a large sausage and extra cheese pizza! Yum.


	2. Chapter 1: One is Silver, the Other Gold

****

**_Chapter One: _**

**_One is Silver, the Other Gold_**

Diana Randall, an incoming second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had not slept at all the night before. Today was the day that she, along with her friends Hermione, Ron and Harry, were getting on a plane headed for Domino, Japan, where her friends Yugi, Marik, Seto and Ryou lived, and Diana couldn't be more thrilled.

Not only was she excited to meet Yugi's, Seto's and Marik's girlfriends, Diana wanted to have someone to duel besides Ron, who she always creamed. She was hoping in particular to try and duel one of her friend's Yamis, since she'd heard they were really good.

Not wanting to be late, Diana woke Ron up at 7:30 AM, causing him to be very cranky.

"Thanks for keeping me up all last night and then waking me up early," he grumbled, "I could of slept until 9, the plane ticket says so."

"That's the time the plane _leaves_, you idiot," Diana said, "You have to be in the plane at that time."

Ron glared. "We can always use Floo Powder."

"Don't you think that'd scare them a little?" Diana snapped, "C'mon, get out of bed and get dressed."

Ron continued to grumble as he got ready, and Diana ran into the bathroom to get dressed.

Diana came out of the bathroom five minutes later dressed in a pair of her most casual jeans, a red-black layered top with _**"Dangerous"**_ in curly black handwriting, two black sneakers and matching biker gloves.

"Punk much?" Ron said dully.

Diana stuck her tongue out as she put on her black KaibaCorp baseball cap.

"It's not _my_ fault if a lot of cool stuff is black and red," she muttered, grabbing her yellow duffle bag and headed downstairs.

Mrs. Weasley was up too, and as Diana sat down at the table, she smiled.

"Good morning, dear," said Mrs. Weasley as she put a stack of pancakes and some sausages in front of her.

"Morning," Diana greeted as she bit into a sausage.

Ron then came downstairs, tugging behind him an old, tattered suitcase. "Morning, Mum. What's for breakfast?"

Mrs. Weasley scowled at her youngest son.

"Aren't you going to at least tuck in your _shirt_, Ronald?" she said exasperatedly, as she did it for him.

"_Mum_," Ron moaned, "Knock it _off_…"

"You should at least look _presentable_ if you're wearing a button-up shirt like that," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

Ron rolled his eyes, and Diana tried to hold back a snicker.

Mrs. Weasley put a smaller stack of pancakes and fewer sausages on Ron's plate, and then looked at Diana.

"Would you like some more, dear?" she asked.

"Oh no, Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine," Diana assured her.

But Mrs. Weasley wasn't paying attention; she was staring at Diana in surprise.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Weasley?" Diana asked in concern.

Without warning, Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"_Diana_! You're…you're _starting_! I can't _believe_ it!"

"Huh?" Diana was very confused.

"You're already becoming a _lady_, oh, your aunt will be so pleased!"

"Huh?" Diana repeated.

"You're so _early_…my goodness!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, WOMAN?" Diana shouted.

Mrs. Weasley tried to get a hold of herself. "You're already starting puberty…"

Diana paled. "W-_what_?"

Diana felt her shirt, and went even whiter.

"Oh, _hell_ no…"

Mrs. Weasley continued to scream excitedly, but Diana ran into the bathroom to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Then Ron heard the sound of someone throwing up.

Diana came back into the kitchen, looking positively ill, but she smiled at Ron like everything was normal.

"C'mon, Ron, let's get to the airport."

_**((You know, I read that once in a fortune cookie...))**_

"Dare! Ron!"

The two redheads turned to find Hermione and Harry running toward them.

"Hey, guys," Diana said in a mellow tone.

"Are you _okay_, Dare?" Hermione asked in concern, "You look a little peaky."

Diana attempted a small smile. "I'm fine, Mione, really…"

She shot Ron a look when he opened his mouth to speak, and he desisted.

"Well, we better get on the plane," Harry said, "Do you know where it is?"

"It's at Platform K-something, last time I heard," Ron said, "Whatever _that_ means, these airports are _confusing_…"

Diana glared at Ron. "Stupid git…It's at K1."

"But the platform assistant told us the public Platforms only go up to F7," Hermione said in surprise.

Diana smirked. "I think we have a _private_ platform…and since it's "K1", I think it's one of _Seto's_ private platforms."

Right then, a guard in a tuxedo approached them.

"Are you four Diana Randall, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger?" he asked.

"Yes," Hermione replied, "We're looking for Platform K1."

The guard nodded. "Follow me. Mr. Kaiba was hoping you wouldn't be late for your flight, since broomsticks would be against the rules."

Diana and Harry exchanged a grin, before the four of them followed the guard down some stairs and through a metal door to the take-off area.

"Which one's ours?" Harry asked.

"That one," the guard replied, pointing to one in the corner.

Diana's eyes widened. The plane looked just like a Blue Eyes White Dragon, Seto's favorite Duel Monster.

"AWESOME!" Hermione and Ron yelled.

They walked toward the Blue Eyes plane, and the mouth opened to reveal some steps for them to go up.

"WICKED!" Harry and Diana said together.

"Glad you like it."

They got to the top of the stairs, and sitting across from a table in one of the blue seats was…

"Seto!"

Seto smiled at his friends. "Hello, all."

"This plane is _so_ wicked, Seto!" Diana said, "How do you _get_ this stuff?"

"You're talking to a _millionaire_ here," Seto said in cool amusement, "How else? By telling people to make it for me."

"Well, it rocks!" Harry said with a grin.

"I like it too."

Running in was a little boy with a mop of long black hair and flashing blue eyes like Seto, followed by a girl about Seto's age with sleek black hair and warm brown eyes.

"Hi," the little boy greeted, "I'm Mokuba…I _assume_ my big brother mentioned me already?"

He looked at Seto suspiciously, and Seto smiled.

"How could I _not_?" he asked, ruffling Mokuba's hair fondly.

"I assume these are the friends you mentioned, Seto?" the girl asked.

"Yes," Seto said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before looking at the Brits, "This is my girlfriend, Melisanne. Melisanne, this is Dare, Harry, Ron and Mione."

"Hi," Harry greeted.

"Ni hao," Melisanne replied.

"You're Chinese?" Hermione asked in interest.

Melisanne nodded simply as she sat down next to her boyfriend and looking at him. "When are we taking off, Seto?"

"Soon," Seto replied, before adding to the Brits, "You guys better sit down."

The Brits sat around a Japanese-style table on the floor in blue, first-class seats, before feeling the plane take off smoothly.

"By the way, how's Kaiba Land getting along?" Harry asked.

Mokuba smiled. "It's _really_ cool! I just wish Seto could use a little magic to make _cooler_-"

"Mokuba-chan, you _know_ that's against the rules," Seto said sternly.

Mokuba pouted. "But you can't deny that would make it cooler, Seto-sama!"

Seto sighed. "No I can't, but that's not the _point_…"

"Then do it when you _graduate_!" Mokuba said in triumph.

"Not without Dumbledore-sensei's permission," Seto replied simply, "And I presume the Minister of Magic would need to know also…"

Mokuba glared playfully. "Really, Seto-sama, do you want me to have to beg from _Seth-kun_?"

Seto glared back at his little brother. "_Mokuba-chan_…"

Harry laughed. "You just can't resist your brother's pleas, can you?"

Seto rolled his eyes, and Melisanne laughed too.

"He never can," Melisanne replied for him, "Never, ever…"

"And when I _do_," Seto added sourly, "He goes right to _Seth_…"

The Millennium Rod glowed and Seth appeared in his transparent form next to Seto, looking tired and rubbing his eyes.

"Time to get up already, Hikari-chan?" Seth yawned.

"About three hours ago, yes," Seto said coldly.

"Really?" Seth asked lightly, before noticing the others, "Konnichiwa, all."

"Hi, Seth," Diana replied.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"The sky," Seth said sleepily, before dozing next to Seto.

Mokuba burst into giggles, but Seto didn't look too pleased.

"Wake up, you nimrod!" the CEO snapped.

Seth jerked awake again. "It's too _early_, Seto-chan…"

"_It's 9:00 AM_!" Seto said testily, "You call that _early_?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do…good night," Seth replied, before vanishing back into the Millennium Rod.

Seto sweatdropped. "I really do hate him."

"Why, because he gets more _sleep_?" Melisanne teased.

The conversation went on and on like this, until Diana finally challenged Seto to a duel and lost spectacularly to his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

In a little less than an hour, the Blue Eyes plane landed, and all of the British kids rushed to look out the window.

"Home, sweet home," Mokuba said with a grin.

They got off the plane, and went out into the airport, to find some more familiar faces.

"Yugi!"

"Marik!"

"Ryou!"

Yugi grinned. "Hey guys!"

Diana gave a newly appeared Bakura a hug before looking at Marik and asking, "How are the tombs?"

"They're _boring_, as usual," Marik replied, "If only I could use some magic to make it more interesting…_ow_!"

A girl had whacked Marik on the head with a rolled-up magazine. She had short brown hair, a dark tan and flashing green eyes.

"Don't you think you should set a good example for the _twins_?" she snapped, gesturing to a stroller in which two babies were sleeping.

"Yes, dear," Marik said sheepishly.

The girl smiled at the British kids. "Hi. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. My name's Kara."

"And I'm Kitty," said a girl holding onto Yugi's arm. She had short, dark auburn hair and hazel eyes that hid shyly behind silver-rimmed glasses. Diana also noticed her gothic attire.

"Diana."

"Harry."

"Hermione."

"Ron."

Kara smiled, and Kitty said, "Pleased to meet you."

"HEY YUGI-KUN, WAIT FOR US!"

Yugi and the others turned to see a boy and two girls running over to them. The boy was blond with puppy-like brown eyes, and the first girl had light brown hair and eyes like the blond, and the other had blond hair and bright purple eyes.

"Are these the kids you told us about, Yugi-kun?" the boy asked.

"Yep," Yugi said, before looking at the British kids, "Guys, this is Joey, Joey's girlfriend, Mai, and sister, Serenity."

"Nice to meet you," Diana said.

"Right back at ya," Joey replied.

They all met back at the Kaiba mansion for pizza and a film (**_"Spiderman"_**), and then discussed the sleeping arrangements.

"We thought we'd each host one of you," Ryou said, "Since Kaiba-kun can take care of when Artemis comes out, Dare-kun can stay here at the mansion. Mione-kun can stay with Marik-kun at Kara-kun's house, Harry can stay with Yugi-kun and Neko-chan at the Game Shop, and Ron-kun can stay with me at my house."

Diana soon found that each of the Japanese Muggles had something unique about them, and that made them quite different, and yet so similar.

Joey Wheeler (a.k.a. _"Puppy"_ and _"Dueling Monkey"_) had been Yugi's best friend ever since before Duelist Kingdom, and was quite a duelist himself. He was spunky, street-wise and hotheaded, and yet, to everyone with the exception of Seto (a.k.a. _"Rich Boy" _and _"Money Bags"_), he was really friendly and sweet.

Mai Valentine seemed like an odd match for Joey at first, but Diana later saw why they were meant to be. Mai was also spunky, but she was a little more of a loner and loved traveling and shopping above all else. Together, however, those two blonds could probably make through anything.

Kara, Marik's girlfriend, was very kind-hearted and a little more pensive than the others. Joey seemed to get along with her the most besides Marik and the twins, but it wasn't hard to. She was a little impatient and a perfectionist at times, but she obviously was a good friend and mother.

Kitty, as Yugi had told them, was a slight Goth. She was very shy and introvert, but as soon as she was comfortable, she was very sweet and kind, although she still had an aura of seriousness. She liked to read and write, and always seemed to be asking for paper and a pencil to write down an idea for a poem or story.

Serenity was really innocent, optimistic and loyal: almost a mirror image of her brother Joey without the temper and dueling expertise. She seemed to always be helping Kara with the twins or talking with Mai about different things (mostly shopping).

Melisanne was quiet and mysterious like Kitty, but she opened up both faster and less than Yugi's girlfriend did. While she was kind to the Brits before Kitty, she seemed to have an aura of someone always keeping secrets, but she still got into conversations and seemed at ease.

Diana fell asleep in a guest bedroom across the hall from Mokuba's with a smile on her face.

'_This was the best day of my life…'_


	3. Chapter 2: Madness at the Mutou House

_Kitty: Christmas Eve, and all's well..._

_Yugi: I can'tbelieve your first day of Winter Break is Christmas Eve! That's so not fair!_

_Kitty: Definitely._

_Lina: Well, let's get this chapter started..._

_Harry: R&R!_

**_Chapter Two: _**

**_Madness in the Mutou House_**

"Harry-kun, wake up! It's morning!"

Harry rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses. "Geez, this time switch is _confusing_…"

"You don't know the _half _of it," said Yugi, "You're talking to someone who's been to Britain, Russia, Egypt and here, all in one school year…"

Kitty poked her head into Yugi's room. Today she was dressed in a black and white Victorian style dress with high-topped black boots and long fishnet sleeves that went up to her wrists.

"Yugi-chan, should I go ahead and open the shop?" she asked.

"Alright, kitten," Yugi yawned, "Just don't bother my mom, she's expecting company sometime today."

Kitty nodded, before going down the stairs into the game shop.

Harry stretched. "What's up with your mum, anyway? Does she just not like magic or something?"

Yugi shrugged as he searched his closet for something to wear.

"I told her I was going to a boarding school for famous people," he explained, "I mean, when she first caught me with Atem-kun, she fainted… and almost fell down the stairs."

Harry sweatdropped. "_God_…"

Yugi nodded. "Picture what she'd do if I told her about Hogwarts."

"Likely she'd fall out a window," Harry muttered as he pulled on some large jeans and an over-sized T-shirt.

Yugi looked at some of the clothes Harry had packed in his suitcase with a frown.

"Does _nothing_ you have fit you?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Harry blushed. "Most of the stuff the Dursleys give me belonged to Dudley, and he's _huge_."

Yugi shook his head. "How do I _know_ that when Mai-kun sees you wearing something too big for you, she'll freak and drag you to the mall?"

Harry laughed. "I hope Joey can _save_ me in time…"

Yugi and Harry came down the stairs as Kitty lifted one last box onto one of the shelves.

"Is she ready to sail, First Mate Kitty?" Yugi asked with a teasing grin.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Kitty replied with a fake salute, "She's all ready to go."

"All hands on deck!" Yugi barked like a sea captain, "Raise the gangplank! Let go F line! Let go G line!"

Kitty laughed. "Didn't you see me _do_ that stuff already, Captain? Just tell me to set the sails."

Yugi pecked her cheek. "Alright, missie, set the sails."

Kitty went over to the door and turned the "Closed" sign over so that it read "Open," before sitting down in a chair behind the desk.

"This is the most boring part," Kitty said as she put her head on the desk, "Waiting for customers to come in."

Yugi laughed. "Just hook up the video game system on the TV, Kitty. I need to beat you at Soul Caliber!"

Kitty smirked. "Yeah right, Mr. King of Games! Your Queen shall _never_ lose at Soul Caliber!"

"That's what _you_ think!" Yugi replied, before looking at Harry, "Wanna help me beat Neko-chan?"

"Sure," Harry said, "But can I watch you guys play first?"

"Certainly," Kitty said, "You can watch me kick my boyfriend's rather handsome ass again…"

Yugi stuck his tongue out at Kitty, before turning the game on.

Kitty played with a female kung-fu warrior called Taki, and Yugi played with a black-armored knight called Siegfried.

Taki was very thin and quick, and whenever Yugi tried to attack her, Kitty would make Taki jump out of the way and hit him from behind, until…

GAME OVER 

"NOOOOO!" Yugi cried in anguish, pretending to faint, "I've been killed by a skinny little whore…!"

"I win _again_!" Kitty laughed, "MWAHAHAHA!"

Kitty looked at Yugi. "What did I tell ya?"

Yugi didn't move.

"Yugi-chan?" Kitty poked him.

Yugi still didn't move.

"This isn't funny, Yugi-chan!" Kitty muttered.

Yugi suddenly jumped up and began to tickle Kitty. Kitty screamed, trying to get Yugi off of her, but it was no use.

"I GIVE!" Kitty screamed through her laughter, "I GIVE!"

Yugi stopped tickling her, and nuzzled her cheek. "I win."

"Cheater," Kitty teased.

"Love you too, Neko-chan," Yugi teased back, kissing her nose.

"Yugi! Quiet down, will you?"

Yugi's mother was at the top of the stairs, dressed in an unusually practical dress and carrying a tray of purple cupcakes.

Yugi groaned. "Sorry, mom…"

"My friend Matsu will be here any minute!" Yugi's mother snapped as she put the cupcakes down on the table, "If you bother us or embarrass me with that…_clone_ of yours, you'll be sorry!"

"Yeah, yeah, Mom, I know," Yugi muttered.

He tried to take one of the cupcakes from the plate, only to have his mother slap his hand away.

"Those are for Matsu and I," she hissed, "You can make your own…if your clone is _safe_ around the oven."

"Ah, Mura!" came a voice from the doorway.

A woman pranced into the shop like a first class show dog, and Yugi's mother automatically greeted her.

"It's _so_ nice to see you again, Matsu," she said in a sickly sweet tone as she picked up the platter of cupcakes again, "How was your flight?"

"Oh, it was _exhausting_," Matsu complained, "Not to mention all the little brats around me kept screaming to their so-called _music_…"

"I _know_, children's sense of style has _really_ decreased in rank this last century…"

The two adults headed upstairs, and Harry looked at Yugi with a very disgusted look on his face.

"Friendly much?" he said sarcastically.

Atem appeared in his spirit form next to Yugi, looking quite sour.

"You _really_ have to tell your mother that I'm not your clone," he growled, "I'm a _Pharaoh_, and she aught to respect that."

Kitty frowned. "Definitely. I mean, not liking _me_ is one thing, but disrespecting a Pharaoh like that _has _to be against the rules."

"Why doesn't she like you, Kitty?" Harry asked.

Kitty shrugged. "Partly because of my gothic style, partly because of my unorthodox literary creativity, and partly because of my reserved nature."

Harry shrugged, and decided to change the subject. "So…can I give that game a shot?"

Kitty grinned. "Sure, let me hook it up-"

Right then Kitty froze.

"What?" Yugi asked.

Kitty pointed at the door. "Guys…I think we have a customer."

The two boys turned around, and stared at what was in the doorway.

A little creature was standing there. It had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes that resembled tennis balls and seemed to be wearing an old pillowcase.

"Uh…may I help you?" Yugi finally found his voice.

But the creature was staring at Harry avidly, and didn't answer Yugi's question.

"Harry Potter…" it whispered, "Such an _honor_ it is."

It gave a little bow, and Yugi and Kitty exchanged a suspicious look.

"Th-thank you," Harry said awkwardly, "Uh…who _are_ you?"

"Dobby, sir," the creature replied, "Dobby the house-elf."

"A _house-elf_?" Kitty repeated with wide eyes, "I read about them in one of those magic books I got last year. Shouldn't you be with your _master_?"

Dobby sighed, his ears drooping. "Dobby is _supposed_ to, miss, but Dobby isn't."

"Did your master _ask_ you to come here?" Kitty asked.

"Oh _no_, miss," Dobby moaned, "If they _ever_ knew Dobby was _here_…"

Kitty gave Dobby a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear your masters are that cruel."

"Thank you kindly for that sympathy, miss," Dobby said, before his green eyes widened, and he muttered, "That was an _awful_ thing to say."

He ran over to the desk, and began hitting his head against the wood, muttering, "_Bad_ Dobby! _Bad_ Dobby!"

"_Dobby_!" Yugi said in alarm, "Shh! Dobby, shh! Stop it, Dobby, my mom's upstairs, she'll hear you!"

Dobby finally stopped, looking rather dizzy, and shook his head to clear it.

"I forgot," Kitty said, "House-elves aren't supposed to speak against their masters…I'm so sorry, Dobby."

Dobby's eyes filled with tears. "Miss is very kind to little Dobby, but she needn't bless her concern on a simple house-elf, miss."

"But why were you hitting your head against the desk?" Harry asked.

"Dobby had to _punish_ himself, sir," Dobby explained, "Dobby will have to punish himself most _grievously_ for coming here later."

"That's terrible," Yugi said, "Why don't you just run away? Escape?"

"Oh _no_, sir," Dobby whispered, "A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will _never_ set Dobby free…never, never…"

"Geez, and I thought living with the Dursleys was bad," Harry muttered, "Can't anyone help you? Can I?"

Almost at once, Dobby began to wail.

"Shh, Dobby!" Yugi tried to quiet him, "_Shh_!"

"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby!" Dobby howled, "Dobby had heard of Harry Potter's _greatness_, but of _goodness_, Dobby never _knew_…!"

Harry went red. "Whatever you heard about my _'greatness'_ is a load of crap. I'm not even the best student, that's Hermione…"

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," Dobby said reverently, his tennis-ball eyes glowing, "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-"

"_Voldemort_?" Yugi snorted.

Dobby clapped his hands over his ears. "Ah, speak not the name, good sir! Speak not the name!"

Yugi shook his head. "There's no reason to be _scared_ of him…"

Dobby ignored Yugi's last comment; instead, he jumped onto the desk to look Harry in the eyes.

"Dobby heard tell," he said in a hoarse voice, "That Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a _second_ time, just a little while ago…and with his friends, Harry Potter escaped _yet again_."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's true…but without Dare, I don't think I-"

Dobby's eyes filled with tears again. "Ah, sir…Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers _already_! But Dobby has come to _protect_ Harry Potter, to _warn_ him, even if Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door later…_Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts._"

There was an awkward, confused silence only broken by a little bit of muttering from upstairs.

"Wh-_what_?" Harry stammered, "But I've got to go back, term starts September 1st. And I don't belong with the Muggle world…I belong in _your_ world…at Hogwarts."

"I mean, I love Kitty and all my friends," Yugi added, "But Harry and we all need to go back…if we know magic, we can protect those we love even _more_…"

"No, no, no," Dobby squeaked, shaking his head fervently, "Harry Potter must stay where he's _safe_. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" Kitty asked in concern.

"There is a _plot_," Dobby whispered, "A plot to make most _terrible_ things happen…"

"What terrible things?" Yugi asked, "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a strange choking sound in the back of his throat, and then started banging his head on Yugi's Playstation II.

"Alright!" Yugi cried, snatching the Playstation out of the house-elf's grip, "I understand, you can't tell! But why are you warning Harry in _particular_?"

Harry's eyes widened as a sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on, this doesn't have anything to do with _Voldemort_, does it?"

Dobby cowered at the sound of the Dark Lord's name, and then slowly shook his head.

"Not…_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_, sir…"

But Dobby's eyes were wide as he said this, almost as if he was trying to give them a clue.

"He doesn't have a _brother_, does he?" Harry asked, completely lost.

Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.

"Well, Dobby, I can't really think of anyone else who would have a _chance_ of doing _'most terrible things'_ at Hogwarts," Yugi muttered, "I mean, Dumbledore-sensei would make _sure_ nothing would happen after last year…"

"Oh, but _sir_," Dobby whined, "There are some things that even the grand Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be able to do…"

"Well, even _if_ Dumbledore-sensei couldn't stop it, which is unlikely," Yugi growled, "_We_ can."

"Dobby admires your bravery, sir," Dobby squeaked, "But _no_ decent wizard would be able to beat the threat…"

"Let me just assure you, Dobby," Yugi whispered, looking down at the ground so that his eyes were in shadow, "That I am no _decent_ wizard."

When Yugi looked back up, Atem was in his place. "No matter who is planning it or what threat there is, we _will_ defeat it."

Dobby bowed his head. "Oh, but Pharaoh, even _with_ all your memory, you could not win against it…"

"Of course we-" Atem froze, and his scarlet eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute…how do you know about my lost memory?"

Dobby's eyes widened in realization at what he had just done. "Dobby must leave…"

He suddenly darted up the stairs, but Atem rushed after him, Kitty and Harry at his heels.

"Tell me what you know!" Atem yelled after the house-elf as he went into the living room where Yugi's mother and Matzu were talking.

The three teenagers stopped outside of the room before they could be seen by the two adults, but Dobby was just inside the room in front of them, looking at the tray of cupcakes they had left on the counter.

"Dobby, get back here!" Atem hissed.

Dobby looked slyly at the past Pharaoh, before snapping his fingers and making three purple cupcakes float off the plate and above the countertop.

Atem's eyes widened in horror. "_No_…Dobby, please…She'll _kill_ us…"

"Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school," Dobby said.

"Dobby, _please_ don't…" Kitty whispered.

"Say it, Harry Potter!"

"I _can't_, Hogwarts is my _home_!" Harry said desperately.

"Then Dobby _must_ do it, sir," Dobby said tragically, "For Harry Potter's own good…"

The cupcakes floated across the room, toward Matsu's head. Atem and Harry immediately snuck into the living room to try and catch the cupcakes before…

SPLAT!

Each of the cupcakes hit the back of Matsu's head, one by one. Matsu screamed in disgust and shock. Yugi's mother looked at Atem, and her eyes narrowed in complete and utter fury.

"Just my half-sons…they're very disturbed, meeting strangers upsets them, that's why we try to keep the both of them busy in the shop downstairs…"

"It wasn't us!" Atem said indignantly, "Dobby-"

The past Pharaoh turned around, looking for the house elf, but Dobby was nowhere to be found.

He was gone.

Atem gulped. _-We're in huge trouble…-_

And I'm sad to say that he was right. Harry and Atem would be able to even ignore a warning from the Ministry of Magic for using a Hover Charm outside of school when Yugi's mother grounded the both of them, saying that Harry and Yugi wouldn't go back to Hogwarts that year………and that Yugi would never go back again.

_Yugi: (wide-eyed) WHAT???_

_Diana: Oh my god._

_Atem: I'm going to kill your mother, Yugi._

_Yugi: No,please don't. I'd have that on my conscience forever._

_Atem: True._

_Kara: Reviews?_

_Lina: 6 already! Wow._

_Kitty: First two are from ANAYAS-CREATER. (shares the pizza and grins) You are a very nice person._

_Bakura: (tries to steal some of ANAYAS-CREATER's half)_

_Kitty: (whacks him with her Whack-a-Mole-Mallet)_

_Diana: Next is Claire. _

_Yugi: (blushes) _

_Kitty: You know him too well! (grins and glomps Yugi) I suppose "Kitty" belongs to both of us, but still._

_Lina: And we're positive that your future updates will be wonderful!_

_Kitty: Now to... Meanae the Thorn! Yes, the Dixie Chicks are one of fav bands, but their songs won't be the only namesakes. I also plan to have saluts to Suzanne Vega, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Don McClean and, my love, Josh Groban!!! (sighs)_

_Yugi: (clueless) Who are those people?...besides Josh, I mean._

_Kitty: Suzanne Vega wrote a song called "Gravestone" for Disney's The Haunted Mansion and Don McClean wrote "American Pie."_

_Yugi: And Crosby, Stills, Nash and Someone?_

_Kitty: They're a fav band of my dad's. Besides, doesn't "Drivin' Thunder" sound like a cool title to you?_

_Yugi: (shrugs) I guess._

_Kara: Next...ZeldaAlly!_

_Kitty: Welcome aboard! It's always nice to meet new reviewers. And thank you most profoundly, I'm glad you enjoyed it._

_Lina: And finally, Claire's second review._

_Kitty: Oopsies! (blushes) I'll have to fix that. I did think there was something different about Melisanne, but I couldn't figure out what it was... I feel silly. _

_Lina: And her little siblings will make an appearance. I mean, how can you resist little kids?_

_Kara: Good question._

_Kitty: (peace) MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALL!_

_Yugi: R&R!_


	4. Chapter 3: Help from a Car and a Kitty

_Yugi: Kitty, I don't want to stay home forever!_

_Kitty: I know, Yugi-chan. _

_Yugi: (blinks) But-_

_Kitty: Just start the chapter._

_Yugi: (sighs) R&R!_

* * *

**Chapter Three: **

**Help from a Car and a Kitty**

Kitty sat down on the corner of Yugi's bed, her eyes focused on the floor and her head in her hands. She looked quite unhappy, to put it lightly.

Yugi hated seeing his girlfriend like this. He sat down beside her and kissed her cheek.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked.

Kitty looked up at her boyfriend. "It's just not _fair_! You and Harry-kun didn't do _anything_, and yet you're still getting punished! And September will start in less than a week…"

Atem appeared in his spirit form next to Kitty, with an identical look of misery on his face.

"This is all my fault," he said in a monotone, "If I hadn't been running after Dobby, we never would've gotten into this mess."

"Mom probably would've blamed me anyway," Yugi snapped, "She only blamed Harry-kun because he was right next to me."

"Well, I guess _Dobby_ will be happy," Harry muttered, "I mean, you don't deserve to leave Hogwarts because of Dobby's stupid attempt to keep me away from school…"

The three mortals and one spirit sighed.

"Well, I'll make _sure_ you guys get back to Hogwarts," Kitty growled, "You were right, Yugi-chan, magic _would_ be able to help us in a emergency. Besides, Hogwarts might be able to help you unlock more of Atem's secret powers."

"But I don't see how we could ever go back," Yugi said sadly, "We've got no way to get back to England without Mom finding out…"

But Yugi hadn't seen the determined look in Kitty's hazel eyes…if he had, he might've realized how serious she really was.

**_

* * *

Yugi tried to sleep well on the floor next to his bed where Harry was sleeping, but he didn't do a very good job of it, and it wasn't even the feel of the cold floor that made it difficult. It was his dreams. _**

* * *

**_Yugi found himself in a golden casket like an ancient Egyptian mummy would be in, which was behind glass in a museum…the Domino Museum._**

**_Yugi tried to move his feet, but they were tied up. He looked down, to see they were bound in old linen. _**

**_He wasn't just in a mummy's casket: HE WAS IN THE PLACE OF A MUMMY! _**

**_People walked past his casket, pointing and poking the glass occasionally. Finally, Joey came up, Mai and Serenity next to him._**

**_Yugi tried calling to them, "Help me! Get me out of here!" _**

**_But his words were stifled by the glass, even though he could hear Serenity read a marker beside the display. _**

**_"_**_'Yugi Mutou: a fine duelist in youth; expelled from a wizard school at sixteen and never heard from since.'** That's sad." **_

**_"Quite sad, actually," Yugi heard Mai say. _**

**_"Nah…I bet that guy didn't even know how to play a Duel Monsters card the right way up," Joey smirked. _**

**_The three left in choruses of laughter. _**

**_"Joey-kun!" Yugi screamed, "Mai-kun! Serenity-kun! Come back!" _**

**_Other people came around the glass. One in the very back Yugi recognized as Marik. _**

**_"Marik-kun!" Yugi yelled, "Marik-kun!" _**

**_But Marik didn't answer, instead going over to Kara and picking up one of his twins before leaving with her. _**

**_Then up came Dobby. _**

**_"Dobby!" Yugi whispered in relief, "Dobby, you've got to get me out of here! Help me out of here!" _**

**_Dobby shook his head. "Harry Potter and his friend are safe here, sir!" _**

**_"What…?" _**

**_Harry was across the way in a similar casket, apparently asleep. _**

**_"Dobby, you can't leave us here, you-" _**

**_Yugi stared at the spot Dobby had stood in horror. _**

_/He's gone…Yami-kun, we've got to get out of here!/ _

**_Silence._**

_/Yami-kun?/ _

**_Atem still didn't answer as Seto, Mokuba and Melisanne approached. _**

**_"Kaiba-kun!" Yugi said. _**

**_Whether he heard Yugi or not, Seto peered through the glass in derision. _**

**_"I knew I'd become superior to him one day," he whispered, "It's just too bad I didn't get to humiliate him in a duel first…ah well." _**

**_Seto laughed like he used to: cold…unfeeling…scornful. It was a laugh that echoed in Yugi's ears even after he left the dream world and…

* * *

_**

Awoke in his own bed.

Or was it really just echoing?

Yugi blinked. Someone was still laughing.

He looked up at his window to see…

"_Kaiba-kun_!"

Seto laughed. "Really, Yugi-kun, I didn't think I appeared in your dreams _that_ much, let alone enough for you to shout my _name_ in them…"

Yugi felt himself blush despite himself. He must have been talking in his sleep.

"Shut up," he snapped, before running over to the window, "But _how_…?"

The rest of the words faded away as he stared at how Seto was high enough to look through his window.

Seto was in the driver's seat of a turquoise-colored Ford Anglia parked in _midair_, and grinning from the passenger's seat next to Seto was Ron.

"But…but…" Yugi was almost speechless, "But…the magic rules…"

"Funny you mention that," Seto smirked, "This is Ron's father's car. _He_ enchanted it, we're only borrowing it for our own purpose, a.k.a. rescuing you and Harry-kun from the horror of missing your second year at Hogwarts."

Yugi grinned. "I definitely owe you for this, Seto…"

"Excuse me?" came a voice from the backseat, "It was _I_ who suggested this, even if Seto's the only one here with a driver's license."

"I could've done it," a second voice muttered, "But my driving record isn't exactly spotless."

"Dare-kun? Marik-kun?" Yugi said in surprise, "How many of you guys are _here_?"

"All of us, of course," Hermione muttered, "The backseat was enchanted to fit any number of people."

"Wake Harry-kun up and let's go," said Ryou, "We're driving straight to England and should make it to Ron-kun's house by late morning."

Yugi grinned, before running over to the sleeping Brit.

"ROAD TRIP!" Yugi yelled as he jumped on the bed.

After calming Harry down a bit, the two boys got their stuff together and threw their suitcases into the trunk before Seto tried to turn the car around so they could get in…

But Seto hit the edge of the windowsill pretty hard.

"YUGI!"

"Oh, damn!" Yugi muttered, grabbing the handle of the car door.

Yugi's mother threw open the door to her son's room…to find that both Yugi and Harry were gone and a car was flying off into the distance.

"I'LL BE BACK NEXT SUMMER, MOM!" Yugi yelled through the car window, "ATEM-KUN TOO!"

The Japanese boys roared with laughter as Seto put on the gas and drove off into the night.

"By the way," Ron said from the passenger seat, "You've got one of the best girlfriends I've ever seen…I mean, the look in her eyes when she said, _'I'm going to do anything I have to do to get Yugi's ass back to that school,' _was enough to make my heart melt."

Yugi laughed. "Neko-chan is _definitely_ one-of-a-kind…I'm going to have to pay her real well in bed when I get home…" 

The Brits were silent with awkward shock, but both Yugi and Seto grinned at their inside joke; neither of them had even _suggested_ to their girlfriends to have sex yet.

* * *

"So…how'd you get a hold of this car?" Yugi asked Seto as the sun rose and all the others were sleeping. 

"Ron's twin brothers," Seto replied. "Diana remembered that they had mentioned Mr. Weasley owning a flying car, so we wrote to Fred and George and asked if they could fly it over here. I let them take one of my jets back considering we needed the car to help you guys…not like they were _complaining_ at having free food, entertainment and room service while flying homeward."

Yugi smiled. "You guys are the best."

Atem appeared in his spirit form next to Yugi. "Thanks from me, too. Makes me feel a little less guilty about getting Yugi-kun in trouble."

Seto tried not to look sour toward Atem like he always did. Luckily, Seth appeared next to him right then, so his expression could be ignored.

"Hey, at least you were curious about your _past_," the High Priest said, "I get Seto-chan in trouble all the time for no reason."

Seto glared at his Yami. "Oh, shut up before you hurt yourself…or rather, _me_, since you don't feel pain in your spirit form."

Seth smirked. "_What_? It's not _my_ fault your secretary is a devout Christian who tried to send me back to Hell with an old fish tail…"

Atem laughed. "I could see that happening…I mean, you _are_ Seth, after all."

Seth glared playfully at his cousin. "That's me! But, when you look at my _Hikari_," he added, giving Seto a teasing pinch to his cheek, "you would _really_ think that he's more the type, ne?"

Seto rolled his eyes as he pushed his Yami off him. "Better being in the Underworld than having to tolerate with a fucked-up, cheerful version of yourself."

Seth pretended to look hurt. "It's not _my_ fault that Mokuba-chan likes me better…"

"He does _not_," Seto snapped. "He just likes your forgiving, happy-go-lucky nature when he gets himself into trouble."

"Because it reminds him of _you_ when you were younger," Seth said coolly as he laid back.

Seto opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't find anything to say, so he took out the map instead and pretended to navigate.

Seth sighed, and for the first time he looked sad.

"I just wish my Hikari would open up a bit," the High Priest said in an undertone to Yugi, "Otherwise he might make the same mistakes I've made in my life…"

* * *

_Kitty: That's it!_

_Yugi: YAY! HARRY-KUN AND ME ARE GOING BACK!_

_Harry: Thank you, God...or should I say "thank you, Kitty?"_

_Kitty: Aw, shucks..._

_Lina: Reviews?_

_Kara: (looks) Four, and the first is from Meanae the Thorn!_

_Kitty: Soul Caliber is the funnest. I play it all the time with my step-bro Chezzie Cheese._

_Lina: Your deck was STOLEN?_

_Atem: (wide-eyed) CALL THE SEARCH PARTIES!_

_(sirens flare, police investigate around Kitty's desk)_

_Kitty: We hope they find it... (a detective tries to pull down her pants to look for evidence) HEY! (kicks him away)_

_Yugi: (fuming) GET OUT OF HERE!_

_(search parties run away)_

_Kitty: Calm down, Yugi-chan._

_Yugi: (smoke coming out of his ears) The only person allowed to touch around there is me!_

_Kitty: Yes, dear._

_Yugi: (grins)_

_Others: (sweatdrop)_

_Lina: Next review: ANAYAS-CREATER._

_Bakura: (rubbing his head) Ow..._

_Kitty: (chews innocently on a cookie) Yummy! These are tasty!_

_Diana: Here! (gives ANAYAS a huge bag of Kitty's mom's home-baked Toll House cookies: Delicious!!!)_

_Bakura: (pouts) I wanna cookie..._

_Lina: (eating a cookie) Say sorry._

_Bakura: (glares) Sorry._

_Lina: Not to me!_

_Bakura: (groans) ANAYAS, I'm sorry._

_Kara: (sweatdrop) Next review._

_Kitty: Next is Claire!_

_Yugi: Hey, I can't deny it! But family loyalty... (sighs)_

_Kitty: No, she doesn't know about my fanfic past. (eyes dart) That would be a disaster._

_Atem: Tell me about it. (grins) And thanks to my cousin and his stubborn Hikari, we did escape._

_Seto: (grumbling to himself)_

_Kitty: (grins) And why fight a good thing? (glomps Yugi)_

_Yugi: (kisses Kitty on the cheek) Love you too, Kitten._

_Lina: Last but not least is ZeldaAlly!_

_Kitty: Hiya! Don't you worry, Yugi's going back..._

_Yugi: (sweatdrop) I'm glad you were able to resist...for the moment, anyhow..._

_Atem: (chewing on a cookie) These are good..._

_Seth: (eating cotton candy) Rather good for cotton..._

_Seto: It's not cotton!_

_Seth: Then why is it "cotton candy?"_

_Seto: Because it looks like cotton._

_Seth:Then is it candy?_

_Seto: No._

_Seth: Then what is it?_

_Seto: ..._

_Kitty: My birthday is tomorrow! YAY!_

_Yugi: Finally fourteen._

_Kitty: (glomps Yugi) Yep!_

_Lina: R&R, peoples!_


	5. Chapter 4: Lockhart the GIT!

**Diana: Chapter Four.**

**Kitty: I saw A Series of Unfortunate Events!**

**Yugi: How unfortunate!**

**Kitty: Isn't it?**

**Lina: Wasn't it good?**

**Kitty: The only good part was the part about the Littlest Elf.**

**(Yugi and Kitty exchange a disgusted look)**

**Yugi: Everything else was way too unfortunate...**

**Lina: (slaps her forehead) Stupid Unfortunate Events talking code...**

**Bakura: (sweatdrop) R&R!**

* * *

**_Chapter Four: _**

**_Lockhart the GIT!_**

Even though Mrs. Weasley had yelled her head off at Fred and George about the Ford Anglia, she was easily calmed down when she realized that it was to bring guests over. Although Ron, Fred, Diana and George all knew Mrs. Weasley was quite fierce at times, she was highly favorable to Yugi, Marik, Seto, Ryou, Hermione and Harry, and so was Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley was obsessed with Muggles and their lives, so he kept talking to Seto as he had the most experience with the things Mr. Weasley wanted to know about.

"I see," Mr. Weasley said after Seto had explained to him about how a fax machine worked, "Quite ingenious…it is _amazing_ the types of things Muggles have been able to accomplish without magic…"

The next day, everyone decided to go and get their school supplies at Diagon Alley, and the Japanese boys and Harry were greeted with a new, peculiar way of wizard travel: the Floo Network.

"I never…and I repeat _never_…want to do that again," Bakura choked on some ash when they arrived in the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace.

Diana helped the Tomb Robber up and brushed some of the ash off of his robes. "Oh, c'mon, it's not _that_ bad…"

"_Not that bad_?" Yugi said incredulously, sneezing twice before continuing, "You're talking to people who have been through the Shadow Realm more times than we can _count_!"

"Alright," Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly, "Is that everyone? Fred, George, Ginny, Percy…Ron, Diana…Yugi, Ryou, Seto…Marik, Hermione…hang on, where's Harry?"

"I thought he was right behind me!" said Seto.

"Do you think he got out of the wrong grate?" Diana asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"But where could he have gotten out?" Hermione asked.

* * *

When the students and the Weasleys had almost given up hope, Hagrid came up, and struggling to keep up behind him was… 

"Harry-kun!"

Harry, covered in soot and his glasses broken, went over to his friends.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ron asked, "You look bloody awful."

"Gee, thanks," Harry said dryly.

"Where'd you come out?" Diana asked, wiping some of the soot off of Harry's robes.

"Knockturn Alley," Hagrid said grimly.

"AWESOME!" the Weasley twins said together.

"Mum would _never_ let us go in," moaned Ron.

"For good reason," Diana snapped, "Ever _I_ don't want to poke my nose down there, and think about how curious I am."

Ron pouted. "Well, you don't _count_, Dare…with your mum and all…."

Diana rolled her eyes as Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses and repaired them with a tap of his wand.

"I have to agree with Dare on this, Ron," Harry said as he put his glasses back on, "That place was right old _creepy_…and sorry, I don't particularly want Malfoy to catch me down there when I'm lost and holding broken glasses up to my face anytime this century…"

"_Malfoy_?" Yugi asked.

"He and his father were down there, in a shop called Borgin and Burkes," Harry explained, "Lucius Malfoy gave the store owner a list of stuff he was trying to sell-"

"_Sell_?" Diana repeated, her mouth twisting into an evil grin, "Well, well, well…the Malfoys are _worried_…looks like your Muggle Protection Act might finally get 'em, Mr. Weasley!"

Mr. Weasley tried to sound stern when he said, "Now, now, Diana…" but he was having difficulty keeping his face straight.

They later went into Flourish and Blotts, only to find a bright purple sign on the door.

* * *

**GILDEROY LOCKHART**

**will be signing his autobiography**

_**MAGICAL ME**_

**today 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM

* * *

**

"Can you _believe_ it?" Hermione squealed, "We can actually _meet_ him!"

"Gilderoy Lockhart…?" Bakura read the name again, "Hang on, isn't that the bloke who wrote almost the whole booklist?"

"That's him," Diana said sourly, "Aunt Gwen says that she knew him at school…not _directly_, by any means…"

Hermione grabbed Diana's collar. "_Your aunt knew Gilderoy Lockhart?_"

"Yeah," Diana replied, trying to sound politer about Lockhart than usual, "He kept asking her out on dates, she said…but I don't think Aunt Gwen could ever date _anyone_, let alone…"

"SHE'S _MAD_!" Hermione squeaked.

The boys sweatdropped as Diana tried to get away from Hermione's fan-girl squealing, before they went inside.

Tons and tons of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age were crowded around, and a harassed-looking wizard failed dismally to stop them from getting too rowdy.

Diana grabbed a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Two_, and then got in line with the Grangers, Mrs. Weasley and Diana's Aunt Gwen to get their Lockhart books.

Gwen was clearly not pleased at being here; her short auburn hair curled neatly behind her ears, and under her simple black glasses, her brown eyes were quite cold and annoyed.

"Diana, _there_ you are," she said as her niece came over with her friends.

Gwen took a brush out of her purse and immediately started combing through her hair.

"Aunt Gwen…" Diana muttered, "Knock it _off_…"

"You can at least learn to comb your hair properly," Gwen snapped, "Your hair's all over the place!"

"Well, playing sports and going through the Floo Network does that to people!" Diana snapped back, pulling away from her aunt's fussing comb.

Right then, Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view. His blond hair was wavy with a wizard hat placed jauntily on top of it. He wore light, forget-me-not blue robes, and he was surrounded by large, moving photographs of his face.

A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around, taking photographs with a black camera that emitted large puffs of smoke with every blinding flash.

"Out of the way," he snarled at Marik to get a better shot, "This is for the Daily Prophet-"

"Big fucking deal," Marik snapped back, rubbing his foot where the man had stepped on it.

Lockhart had heard him.

He looked up to look at Marik…then at Yugi…and then at Harry.

He stared, before leaping to his feet and positively shouting, "It _can't_ be Harry Potter? And Yugi Mutou _too_?"

The crowd parted with excited murmurs, as Lockhart grabbed Harry's, then Yugi's, wrist and pulled them next to him.

Yugi felt himself go red as the photographer started taking photos like a madman. On the other side of Lockhart, Yugi could see Harry was pretty embarrassed too.

"Nice big smiles, you two," he said though his gleaming teeth, "Together we're worth the front page."

Finally the photographer stopped and Lockhart let go off their wrists. Yugi was going to run back to his friends, but Lockhart grabbed them again, clamping them tightly to each side of him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what an _extraordinary_ moment this is," he said loudly so that everyone could hear him, "The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement that I've been sitting on for some time! When these two young wizards stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, _Magical Me_, they had _no_ _idea_ that they would, in fact, be getting the _real_ magical me. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that this year, I shall be Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd applauded again as Yugi and Harry each found themselves being presented with a complete set of Lockhart books. The two struggled to hold them all as they ran back into the crowd, toward Seto, Marik, Diana and Ginny Weasley.

Seto helped Yugi put his set on the floor, and Harry dropped his into Ginny's new cauldron.

"You have these," he muttered, "I'll buy my own…"

"Bet you loved that, didn't you?" said a sneering voice.

The students turned to look into the mocking eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"_Famous_ Harry Potter and the King of _Lame_, Yugi Mutou," Malfoy sneered, "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave them alone, they didn't want all that!" Ginny snapped; for once, she didn't look embarrassed like she usually did around Harry.

"Careful, little Weasley," Malfoy drawled, "Don't want Mutou to cheat on his Mudblood back in China!"

Ginny went scarlet. Yugi and Diana looked ready to kill.

"Don't call Kitty a Mudblood, Malfoy!" Diana hissed.

"Or do you actually want some company for that black eye I gave you last year?" Yugi growled.

"At least I have dignity," Malfoy sneered back, "After all, who's ever heard of a Pharaoh being in a fist-fight?"

"Destiny can be _changed_," Seto said coldly, "Besides, who's ever heard of a little brat like you having dignity?"

Malfoy was about to retort, when a hand gripped his shoulder.

"Now, now, Draco, play nicely…"

The man had long platinum blond hair and cold silver-blue eyes; only a man like this could be Draco Malfoy's father.

"Mr. Potter," Lucius Malfoy's eyes fell on Harry, "We meet at last…after all, your story is legend…as of course was the man who made your story a reality."

Harry's green eyes narrowed with hatred.

"Voldemort killed my parents," he whispered icily, "He's nothing more than a murderer."

Mr. Malfoy's eyes widened ever so slightly. "You must be very _brave_ to say his name…or very _foolish_."

"A snake by any other name is still just as sly," Yugi said just as coldly as Harry, "But it is best to call him by his proper name if you mean to introduce him into a conversation."

Mr. Malfoy looked at the King of Games, his eyes mocking.

"You must be Yugi Mutou," he said coolly, eyeing the Millennium Puzzle, "Yes, the host of the Pharaoh…pass on some information to him for me: the Dark Side is always looking for murderers like him."

If looks could kill, Yugi's gaze would've burned Mr. Malfoy like in the old witch trials, but the elder paid no attention as his eyes went over Seto.

"Seto Kaiba, is it?" he asked, "Well, I _must_ say, the ruthlessness in Kaiba Corporation _does_ run in the family, doesn't it…"

Seto gave Mr. Malfoy his classic cold glare, but he didn't even flinch as he looked at Marik.

"And Marik Ishtar," he whispered, "The first Muggle Slytherin since…" he thought a moment, "The _only_ Muggle Slytherin I can think of. I suppose you couldn't hide everything, could you?"

Marik's eyes narrowed, obviously understanding what Mr. Malfoy was referring to. Mr. Malfoy smirked, before picking up his Lockhart book, and taking out a quill.

"For a role model," he said coolly as he scribbled something no one else could see.

Marik grabbed the book back, not even noticing that it felt a little thicker, and looked at the page. His eyes widened in fury, but he only threw the book into his bag.

Right then, Gwen struggled through the crowd to get to Diana.

"Diana, come on, we better leave Molly to her-"

"Well, well, well," Mr. Malfoy sneered, "Guinevere Randall."

"Lucius," Gwen replied with a curt nod.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear, Guinevere," Mr. Malfoy said coolly, "I do hope they're paying you overtime for all the trouble you have to endure to keep your niece under control…"

Gwen's brown eyes shot daggers from behind her glasses.

It was quite obvious that Gwen could never do anything to help Diana around her work, so it was always the Weasleys who had to try and take care of her "condition," which usually meant having to lock her in the basement and hope for the best.

"Well, we all have our ways, don't we, Lucius?" Gwen said icily, "I have my ways with Diana, and you have your ways with your…_family secrets_."

Everyone except Malfoy were glad to see Mr. Malfoy's jaw clench.

"You would know a lot about secrets, wouldn't you, Guinevere?" Mr. Malfoy hissed, "Everything concerning Diana's welfare…not to mention your links to-"

"That is quite enough, Lucius," Gwen interrupted, her eyes dangerous, "Fudge would not tolerate your discussion of the situation. After all, if you want to cheat other deserving workers out of money as you usually do, you need to be on Fudge's good side…"

"And if you want to help your little friend out, you will stay out of my way," Mr. Malfoy spat.

"Keep Remus out of this!" Gwen snarled, her cheeks going red with either fury or embarrassment, Diana didn't know.

"Who's Remus?" asked Malfoy snidely, "Your boyfriend?"

Diana glared. "He isn't, otherwise I'd know!"

"Oh, would you?" Malfoy mocked, "Or are you just trying to cover up that your aunt hasn't _told_ you?"

"Like your father would tell you anything about _his_ personal life?" Diana hissed back, "Not like that's _saying_ anything."

"At least my father _has_ a life," Malfoy snapped, "Unlike your pathetic excuse for a mother!"

"She's not pathetic!" Diana shouted.

"Then why was she so stupid to get herself blown up?"

Diana jumped on top of Malfoy, knocking him backward into two bookshelves. Dozens of books went thundering down on them from both sides as Diana punched every bit of Malfoy that her fists could find.

She heard a yell of "Get him, Dare!" from Marik; she heard Gwen shouting, "No, Diana, no!"; "Children, please…please!" cried the assistant, and then louder than all of them…

"Break it up, yeh two, break it up!"

Hagrid picked up Diana with his left hand and Malfoy with his right and held them at arm's length, even though Diana was trying to pull free. She had a cut lip, and Malfoy was rubbing a livid bruise on his cheek.

Hagrid put them on the floor. Malfoy smirked.

"Hope you're more in control at school, Randall…"

And with that, he and his father left the shop.

Diana breathed hard, glaring at the doorway. "I _hate_ them…"

"Ya should've ignored him, Dare," Hagrid advised, "Rotten to the core, the whole lot of them…but that ain't an excuse te get yerself into trouble."

But Diana saw him wink at her. Gwen, on the other hand, was absolutely beside herself.

"A fine example to show for our family!" she chastised, "Do you _really_ want to bring down our family name even more then it already has? It's bad enough that-"

"I don't need a lecture about our family!" Diana spat, "I _know_ I cause trouble! I _know_ I'm the burden of your every waking moment! I know I'm worthless, and I _know_ you hate me! But for once, don't you think you could actually think about what went through my head for what I did? Well, let me think for you: I WAS DEFENDING YOU AND MUM!"

Aunt Gwen stared at her in silence. Diana shook slightly with fury, before heading out of the shop.

Her friends followed her out, and Bakura wrapped an arm around her.

"I don't care what anyone says," the Tomb Robber whispered in Diana's ear, "But I think you did a good job with Malfoy."

* * *

**Kitty: That's it!**

**Bakura: GO DARE-KUN! (glomps his best friend)**

**Diana: (grins) Thanks, Bakura.**

**Lina: (glares jealously at Diana and Bakura) Reviews, Kara?**

**Kara: Uh... (looks) Five, and the first is from ANAYAS-CREATER.**

**Diana: (still being glomped) You're very welcome.**

**Seth: (looks down at his cotton candy) Sugar? (offers some to ANAYAS)**

**Seto: Yep.**

**Seth: Then why isn't called "sugar candy?"**

**Seto: They were attempting to be creative?**

**Seth: (stares)**

**Seto: What?**

**Seth: You...were actually kind of funny just then.**

**Seto: .....oh, damn.**

**Kitty: Okay, moving onward...**

**Kara: Next is Meanae the Thorn.**

**Harry: (grins) Ah, Hogwarts again!**

**Kitty: Fourteen at last!! (punches the air) And I've always wanted a sister! (hugs Meanae)**

**Bakura: (chews on his own cookie)**

**Diana: (puts on her puppy dog eyes)**

**Bakura: This is my cookie!**

**Diana: (pouts)**

**Bakura: NO!**

**Diana: (eats the cookie right out of his hand)**

**Bakura: (sighs) Oh, okay...**

**Kara: And...Claire!**

**Kitty: I better hope that witch doesn't seperate me and Yugi-chan. (glomps her bishie from behind)**

**Yugi: (pecks Kitty's cheek) And Seto and Seth rock!**

**Seto: (rolls her eyes) WHATEVER.**

**Kitty: Ooh, a surprise! I can't wait!! **

**Kara: Next is ZeldaAlly.**

**Lina: (grins evilly) Nice job with that brother of yours.**

**Kitty:Chez islucky he's leaving for San Diego with my dad and step-mom...otherwise, I'd follow your example! (grins evilly)**

**Yugi: (eats some of Kitty's cookies) Yum, peanut butter...**

**Marik: (takes one and bites into it) PTOO!! (spits it out, seeing worms in it) EW!!! (runs to the bathroom to wash his mouth out)**

**Kara: And last...Rainbow Guardian Angel.**

**Kitty: Thank you both. (smiles) **

**Yugi: And my mom is evil. **

**Harry: Worse than Dursley evil, if you ask me! (scowls)**

**Kitty: And it was a pleasure having you! (winks) The Bash-a-thon was most enjoyable thanks to y'all.**

**Noa: R&R!**


	6. Chapter 5: A Flying Disaster

_Kitty: Sorry for not updating in so long, all! _

_Yugi: Anyway, here's Chapter 5!_

_Lina: R&R!_

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**A Flying Disaster**

The Hogwarts Express left on time on September 1st, and the students slowly headed back to their Wizarding school. There was just one problem…

"What do you mean _'Ron and Harry got expelled for flying a car to Hogwarts'_?" Hermione yelled.

Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas both cowered at Hermione's rage.

"That's the r-rumor," Dean stammered, "I d-don't know if it's t-true or not…"

Hermione looked like smoke was coming out of her ears. Diana gently placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Mione," she said placidly, "Rumors are usually false."

But it turned out it was only half false.

"You mean you actually _did_ fly a car to Hogwarts?" Hermione shrieked.

"Skip the lecture," Ron muttered, "And tell us the new password."

Diana put a hand over her face and shook her head. Then she sighed.

"Wattlebird," she said and the portrait hole swung open to reveal all the Gryffindors clapping and cheering.

Needless to say, Harry and Ron felt pretty flattered at all of the approval. The next day, however, was not nearly so flattering.

When Ron and Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, Hermione didn't look up from _Voyages with Vampires_, instead just muttering, "Morning," in a very stiff tone.

Yugi, however, greeted them with a grin.

"Too bad I wasn't there," he muttered so Hermione couldn't hear him, "It would've been fun to fly that car, I wager."

Right on time, owls flooded in with tons of letters. Kisara landed next to Yugi, and Yugi immediately took the letter from her.

"Is that from Kitty?" asked Diana.

"Yep," Yugi replied, before reading it out loud.

Konnichiwa, Yugi-chan!

I do hope you and Harry-kun got back to Hogwarts okay. Your mother was right-old furious…she's convinced it's all my fault you left. Well, not that some of the "fault" isn't mine.

Kara-kun just got sent a letter from her record company, asking her if she'd consider coming to a large concert being held in the United States to perform! Some of those performing will be Elton John, Madonna, Janet Jackson and JOSH GROBAN!!!!!!! **insert fan-girl scream here** Kara-kun and I are really excited, and Kara-kun said she'd try to make arrangements to get autographs from Josh for Mione-kun and Dare-kun, since she's heard they also like him.

Need I tell you how adorable Kara-kun's kids are? Kane-chan just said his first word… "Daddy." I think he meant something along the lines of "Tell Daddy I miss him," so pass that onto Marik for me. And since we're on the subject of missing someone, I'll remind you how much I miss you and Atem-kun and look forward to your next letter.

Lots of Luv,

Kitty 

"_Josh Groban_?" Hermione asked, looking up for the first time, "Oh my GOD!"

"I'm so happy for Kara," Diana said with a smile, "What a break! She just better get those autographs ASAP."

Yugi laughed. "I find it amazing that all the girls I know are Josh Groban fan girls…except for Melisanne and Ariel, of course."

"I'm _not_ a fan girl," Diana snapped, "I don't like him for his _looks_, I like him for his _music_. He writes good stuff, and it doesn't hurt that his voice is nice."

"Even if you ignore the girlish reactions, that concert is sure to be cool," Harry noted, "I mean, if there's anyone who deserves meeting all those celebrities and singing in a concert like that, it's Kara."

"Definitely," Ron agreed, "I'm sure it's a dream come true for her."

It was then that something collapsed into Hermione's milk jug, spraying milk and feathers everywhere.

"_Errol_!" Ron realized. Errol weakly held out the delivery in his beak to Ron: a red letter.

Ron and Diana looked horrified.

"Don't worry, he's alright," Hermione misread their expressions, poking Errol gently with her finger to show his reflexes were still intact.

"It's not that," moaned Ron, "It's _that_."

He pointed at the red letter.

"She's…she's sent me a Howler," Ron said weakly.

Diana looked empathetically worried. "You better get it over with, Ron…my aunt sent me one once…I ignored it and…" she shivered, "let's just say it wasn't a pleasant experience."

Yugi and Harry looked curiously at the red envelope.

"What's a Howler?" the King of Games asked.

But neither redhead answered as the envelope started to smoke at the edges.

"Open it," Diana urged him, "It'll be all over in a moment…"

Looking as though he'd rather fish for piranhas with his bare hands, Ron slowly eased the red envelope out of Errol's beak, and opened it.

At first, it was almost like it had exploded, for a burst of noise erupted from the envelope, echoing across the room in a series of furious, female shrieks.

"_**STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU! YOU WAIT 'TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE--"**_

Mrs. Weasley's shouts were echoing off the walls five times their usual volume, making some people turn around. Even when Yugi clasped his hands over his ears, Ron's mother's words were still ringing loud and clear.

_-Ra, save him,-_ muttered Atem, _-Having to go through something like that with his own mother…-_

_/And we thought my mother was bad…?/_ agreed Yugi.

"_**LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT…I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE NEVER BROUGHT YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED--"**_

_-I had been wondering when she'd bring Harry-kun in there,-_ thought Atem.

"**_ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED…YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME."_**

A ringing silence fell, and the red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled up into black ashes.

Both Harry and Ron looked like a tidal wave had washed over them as some people laughed a little before going back to their conversations.

Here Hermione closed _Voyages with Vampires_ and looked at Ron.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you-"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," muttered Ron.

Harry pushed his porridge away, looking sick and guilty. "Your dad's facing an inquiry? I'm so sorry, Ron."

Ron shook his head. "Hey, it was my idea-"

"Yeah, but I made you drive it-"

"I crashed it into the Willow-"

"Oh shut up, both of you."

Both boys turned to stare at a rather peeved Diana.

"Stop fighting over who gets the blame, for neither of you could win," she snapped, "It wasn't your fault you couldn't get on the Platform, so shut up and do something useful like reading your schedule and seeing we're late for our first Herbology class."

The four Gryffindors headed across the vegetable patch and to the greenhouses, where they saw the rest of the class waiting for Professor Sprout.

Ryou came over; he looked at Ron with a frown.

"Sorry about that Howler, mate," he said, "Cedric Diggory told me those things are plain awful as it is, but yours was one of the worst he'd ever heard."

Diana put an arm over Ron's shoulder when he didn't reply.

It was then that a familiar jaunty voice came from across the way.

"Oh, hello there!"

Harry and Yugi looked like they had just swallowed a lemon.

It was Lockhart. He was dressed in turquoise today, his golden locks still curling handsomely under his pointed turquoise hat.

Behind him was Professor Sprout carrying bunches of bandages; she was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair, had much dirt on her clothes and under her nails, and was usually very kind and well-mannered. Today, however, she looked quite disgruntled.

"Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow!" Lockhart said through his shining teeth, "But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is-"

"Could've fooled me," muttered Ryou, who, like Professor Sprout, looked oddly annoyed at the presence of Lockhart.

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" Professor Sprout told them.

There was a murmur of interest as Professor Sprout took out a large key from her belt and unlocked the door the Greenhouse three.

"We've never been in Greenhouse three before," said Ryou with excitement apparent in his eyes, "There's bound to be much cooler stuff in there…"

Bakura appeared in his transparent form next to him, but no one really noticed except for his Hikari and the Gryffindors.

"Like plants are really so cool?" snapped the Tomb Robber, "You could rip them out of the dirt no problem!"

"What about the Devil's Snare?" asked Ryou slyly, "You weren't very pleased or knowledgeable about being in there, so I had to take your role as protectorate and save all of you."

Bakura frowned before disappearing back into the Millennium Ring.

Ryou smirked. "He'll never admit that I'm right…"

That day they learned about Mandrakes, which, according to a Hermione-acting Ryou, were used to bring those in an immobile state to their original state, and, according to a thoroughly-disgusted Tomb Robber, looked like sick versions of newborn babies.

And although the Herbology class was a bit difficult for everyone but Ryou and Hermione, the next class had most of the boys and Diana feeling sick to their stomachs.

And what was the next class, you might ask?

Defense Against the Dark Arts with Lockhart the Nimrod.

* * *

_Kitty: One more chapter until I cantorment Lockhart the Nimrod._

_Lina: That should be amusing._

_Kitty: Anyway...reviews, Kara?_

_Kara: Seven, and the first is from ANAYAS-CREATOR._

_Kitty: (blink) Well, we all have our own different ways of writing. Mine happens to be when I've seen some kind of movie recently or listened to some kind of music... (shrugs)_

_Diana: (grins evilly) I'd love any kind of assistance, Rowan!_

_Atem: Next is Claire! _

_Kitty: (glomps Yugi) My Yugi! (grins)_

_Yugi: (glomps Kitty back) My Kitty! _

_Harry: I did not like that one bit._

_Yugi: Like I did?_

_Harry: But I'm going to be tormented more than you since Kitty's dating you!_

_Kitty: (frowns) Well...by Lockhart, anyway..._

_(Everyone stares)_

_Kitty: (eyes fill up with tears) Sorry, I can't tell...but fanfiction is fanfiction. (cries)_

_Yugi: Oh, dear...if she's reacting like this, it has to be bad..._

_Atem: (nods)_

_Seth: Next is ZeldaAlly._

_Marik: (looks at Lina and Kitty) Please do kill him._

_Lina: (takes out her machete and throws it right into Jake's head) MWAHAHAHA._

_Kitty: (smiles) I don't like mouth wash, either. But mint toothpaste is nice._

_Ryou: And...Kyte, a.k.a. Meanae the Thorn!_

_Kitty: (grins) I liked 'Loony, Loopy Lupin too,' especially when Remus jinxed Peeves!! (glomps Remus)_

_Remus: Kitty, I have to go prank with Sirius and James._

_Yugi: But...aren't they...?_

_Remus: Dead? Yeah. Kitty brings all of her fac chars back to life, remember?_

_Yugi: (blinks) Oh yeah._

_Kitty: (lets go of Remus) I'M AN ONLY CHILD TOO! (glomps Kyte) You shall be my god-sister from now-onward!!_

_Seto: And now, Rainbow Guardian Angel._

_Atem: I had been wondering about the "murderer" thing, Kitty._

_Kitty: (scowls) Let's just say that Lucius Malfoy took a leaf out of Raphael's book._

_Atem: Grrrrr..._

_Kitty: (grins) Someone noticed that! Yep, that was on purpose. BUT NO, Diana is not the Heir to a goddess, just someone named AFTER a goddess. Actually, Diana's name has more of a story than Artemis's, although they both have mythological significance._

_Yugi: Huh?_

_Kitty: Artemis/Diana was Goddess of the Hunt. Diana's always gotten along well with animals. And she transforms into Artemis at night, when the moon comes out._

_Yugi: Oh... (smiles) Cool._

_Bakura: Next is Ma-LI-KE he Kai-ba._

_Kitty: Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you like this chapter too._

_Lina: And last...Rayne Saijeuz._

_Kitty: (grins) I'm very pleased you liked that!! And I do hope you get inspiration!_

_Yugi: Inspiration is the best gift anyone could receive!_

_Kitty: I SAW THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA MOVIE!!!_

_Lina: That was damn good._

_Kitty: I'd never seen the play before now...I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS MISSING!!!_

_Yugi: (grins) All you've been doing recently is singing the songs with the CD._

_Kitty: (sings) **The Phantom of the Opera is there...inside my mind...!**_

_Yugi: Sing for me, my Angel of Music! (grins)_

_Kitty: (singing, singing, singing)_

_Lina: (sighs) R&R!_


	7. Chapter 6: Problems with Pixies

**Kitty: Alright...new chappie!**

**Yugi:** **Kitty has been keeping in tune with Yu-Gi-oh, and...**

**Kitty: YUGI!**

**Yugi: (sighs)**

**Lina: "You did what was best for me and for mankind...I'm always...with you..." (snorts) That was so gay.**

**Kitty, Yugi and Atem: (whack her on the head a hundred million times)**

**Amelda**_ (I HATE THE NAME ALISTER!)_**: But the one with me in was cool. (smirks)**

**Seto: Kitty, what's HE doing here?**

**Kitty: I like the whole Mikey thing. (glomps Amelda) And besides shutting Moky all alone in a plane about to crash, he's pretty cool.**

**Seto: (glares venomously)**

**Seth: (sweatdrop) RR!**

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Problems with Pixies**

Yugi had just finished his letter to Kitty, and was now racing to get to Defense Against the Dart Arts on time.

* * *

_**Konnichiwa Neko-chan!**_

_**It was so nice to read the words of my beloved kitten, let me tell you that. Harry-kun and I got to back to England okay, although Harry-kun and Ron-kun had a bit of a bumpy ride getting to Hogwarts in Mr. Weasley's flying car. Didn't exactly go as they had planned…**_

_**Congratulate Kara-kun for me! I passed that onto Marik like you said; he was very happy for her too and told me to pass on three kisses for him, one for Kara-kun, and one each for the twins. Dare-kun also adds to Kara-kun to get those autographs ASAP.**_

_**We've got a new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. His name is Gilderoy Lockhart, and he wrote almost half our booklist. He seems self-centered and fame seeking to me, as he brought Harry-kun and me into a publicity stunt back in Flourish and Blotts…not fun. At least Dare-kun was able to beat up Malfoy there; that was probably the only thing that brightened the experience.**_

_**You know how much I love you, Kitten, and how much I love hearing from you, so write back as soon as you can so I can cherish your next letter as I have the one you last sent.**_

_**Aishiteru,**_

_**Yugi**_

* * *

Yugi ran into Lockhart's classroom, to find the Ravenclaws and most of the Gryffindors already there. 

Harry, Ron, Diana, Hermione and Seto waved at him to tell him to come over, and Yugi took a seat between Seto and Ron in the third row.

"I'm not looking forward to this class," muttered Yugi as he turned around to look at Harry, Hermione and Diana.

"Me either," growled Seto, "This Lockhart character seems like a total jerk to me. On the way here, I ran into this runt Gryffindor named something Creevey, and he asked for a picture with me. I mean…I do _autographs_ sometimes, but _signed photos_? That's a little extreme…"

Yugi nodded to tell him to go on.

"Anyway, Malfoy headed over and gave his usual mocking: this time along the lines of _'Extra, Extra, Read All About it: Seto Kaiba's giving out signed photos!' _I told him to shut his fat mouth and go away, but Lockhart overheard him…and gave Creevey a _double_ portrait, much to my disgust and displeasure. And guess what, Yugi? He knows me as _'Kaiba boy.'_"

Yugi and Seto's identical scowls were enough for the others to understand how much that nickname was loathed.

"But he's _not_ a jerk, Seto," Hermione replied in a slightly higher voice than normal, "I mean, _he's_ famous too…"

"That doesn't give him an excuse to feed off other's fame to get more famous himself," snapped a newly appeared Atem.

Seth appeared too and nodded.

"And just look at what he did with Harry-kun and Yugi-kun in Flourish and Blotts," he said in his slightly deeper voice, "THAT is jerk-material if I ever saw it."

Hermione would've responded, except Lockhart cleared his throat right then and silence fell as the class all looked at him.

Lockhart reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of _Travels with Trolls_, and held it up to show his winking portrait on the cover.

"Me," the professor stated, as he winked as well, "Gilderoy Lockhart… Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most Charming Smile Award…but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

He chuckled a little at his own joke; a few people smiled weakly; Diana clucked her tongue in disgust.

"I see you've all bought a compete set of my books, well done!" Lockhart quickly went on, "I thought we'd start today with a little quiz…nothing to worry about, just to check how well you all have read them."

He gave a pile of each to the first person in each row, who then passed them down the row to the others.

"You have thirty minutes. Start…now!"

Diana picked up her quill and looked at the quiz.

* * *

**1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?**

**2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?**

**3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?_

* * *

_**

On and on it went, over three sheets of paper, right down to:

* * *

**54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

* * *

_ **

_/That git/ _Diana thought, before taking her quill and starting to write.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers, and shuffled them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut…hardly any of you remember my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti._ Oh…what's this?"

He picked up a particular paper. His eyes ran down it in a line, and then he grinned widely.

"But Miss Diana Randall knew my birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic communities…good girl! You read _Wanderings with Werewolves_ most intently…you enjoyed it?"

"No."

Everyone froze. Even Lockhart's grin flickered.

"B-beg pardon?"

"No," Diana repeated, "I found it the most self-centered and egotistical book I've read in my entire life. I read it for _werewolves_, not a bigheaded, photo-happy git who is probably in love with his own reflection."

She paused here, before adding scornfully, "No offense to you, of course…_professor_."

Everyone stared in shunned shock. Seth turned around to wink at her. Parvati and Lavender gave her glares of pure venom. Harry gripped her hand under the table as Lockhart looked about to speak.

"Well…uh…glad you enjoyed it!" Lockhart went back to the papers, "And Miss Hermione Granger…full marks, good girl…!"

Diana smirked as she closed her eyes, to try and drown out some of what Lockhart the Nimrod was saying.

She only looked up when he said, "Now, be warned! it is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind…"

He jabbed his wand against a covered cage on his desk, and it gave a violent rattle. Harry shifted in his seat next to her, and Diana smiled at him confidently.

"You may find yourselves fighting your very worst fears in this room," he whispered dramatically, "Know only that no harm shall befall you whilst I am here."

Diana, despite herself, felt a quick flash of curiosity. Lockhart placed his hand on the cover.

"I must ask you not to scream…it might provoke them!"

He whipped the cover off.

"Yes…_freshly caught Cornish pixies_."

Seth burst out laughing. Everyone turned around to stare at him, as no one had ever seen Seto laughing…and he rarely did, but his Yami was another story.

Quickly Seto took control, and finished the laugh scornfully instead of in amusement.

"Yes?" Lockhart smiled at the CEO.

"Those things?" Seto snorted derisively, "You're talking about _dangerous_ creatures, and you bring out _those_? They're only at the second level of danger in _Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them_: Competent Wizard should Cope."

"That may be, but don't be so sure, Kaiba boy!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger at him as though he were a child, "Pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters…Let's see what you make of them!"

And he opened the cage.

There was complete and utter pandemonium. The pixies zoomed around the classroom like missiles, causing mayhem in their wake.

Two seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air to get him stuck on the chandelier. Some crashed through windows, and others wrecked the classroom in other ways. They ripped Lockhart's pictures off the walls. They grabbed inkbottles and splashed fresh ink on all the student's heads. They shredded books and papers.

Within minutes, the whole class was hibernating under desks and tables. Lockhart tried to help, but the pixies snatched his wand and threw it out the window. The professor gulped, and jumped under his own desk.

The bell rang, and there was a mad rush to leave. In the slight calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, and caught glimpse of Yugi, Seto and the others heading toward the exit.

"I'll just ask you three to nip the rest of the pixies back into their cage," he said, before he swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.

"CAN YOU BELIEVE HIM?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear.

"He just wants us to get some hands-on experience," Hermione reproached, whacking a pixie away with her book.

"_HANDS-ON_?" Harry repeated as he tried to snatch a pixie that was dancing out of his reach, "You call this _hands-on_? Lockhart didn't have a _clue_ what he was doing!"

"Rubbish!" Hermione snapped, "You've read his books, look at all the amazing things he's done…"

"He _says_ he's done," Ron snapped back.

"What do you mean by _that,_ Ron?" Hermione demanded.

"How could an idiot like that stop a Banshee if he can't handle some pixies?" Ron yelled.

"He _could_ handle it! He was giving us hands-on-"

"He ran away and left _us_ to deal with it!"

"That's not true!"

"He didn't even teach us how to _defend_ ourselves against them before he let them out!"

"He probably thought we'd know!"

"We're _second years_! If he was a _proper_ teacher-"

"He _is_ a proper teacher!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"IS NOT!"

"IS TOO!"

Seto finally got fed up with the fighting and shouted, "_IMMOBULUS_!"

All of the pixies stopped moving in mid air. They floated around, blinking in confusion at not being able to move.

Ron and Hermione stopped fighting and stared at Seto.

"_That_ is how a competent wizard copes with pixies," the CEO growled angrily before brushing past them and heading out the door.

* * *

**Yugi: WHOO! Go Kaiba-kun!**

**Seto: (smirks) Thank you, Kitty, that was most enjoyable.**

**Kitty: (grins) Does this make up for keeping Amelda and Noa around?**

**Seto: No, you've got a long way before that.**

**Kitty: (sticks her tongue out)**

**Lina: (rubbing her head) Reviews?**

**Kara: 7, and the first is from ZeldaAlly.**

**Kitty: Hopefully, anyway. And I like peppermint, so that explains it.**

**Yugi: But spearment isn't Kitty's thing.**

**Kitty: I haven't seen Racing Stripes yet, but ASOUE WAS AWESOME!**

**Yugi: (grins) I bought a souvener. (holds up a Littlest Elf bobblehead, with the head ripped off) **

**Kitty: (kisses Yugi) I knew I chose you to be my boyfriend for SOME reason.**

**Lina: Next is ANAYAS-CREATER.**

**Kitty: The Phantom of the Opera was the best. Period. You need to see it. And I know how you feel 'bout your fic; remember, I deleted this fic idea once. (cries)**

**Yugi: (pats her shoulder) And I like Rowan's name too.**

**Kitty: And it wouldn't let me review because "I already reviewed the chapter."**

**Kara: And...SGCred.**

**Yugi: Believe me, I am. But hey, she's my mom. Kids rarely have power over their mothers.**

**Atem: You know you could change that...**

**Yugi: I'm supposed to be the innocent one and you're supposed to be righteous, remember?**

**Atem: (pouts)**

**Kitty: And hopefully this bashing shall be amusing for all of us.**

**Lina: And now, Ma-LI-KE he Kaiba.**

**Kitty: Well, Seto had fun in this one!**

**Seto: (smirks)**

**Kitty: And I loved it. (sings the Phantom song again)**

**Kara: Onward to Rayne Saijeuz.**

**Kitty: (throws a party for your inspiration) HOORAY!**

**Yugi: And I agree 100 percent with your Yami. (grins evilly)**

**Lina: Next is Rainbow Guardian Angel!**

**Atem: (tries to breath) **

**Kitty: (gives RGA a hug) I'm sorry 'bout your guy, girl. He doesn't know what he's missing.**

**Yugi: (gives RGA a kiss on the cheek to cheer her up)**

**Bakura: (grins evilly as he takes the Devil's Snare) You rock! (tries to find a photo album with pics of Lucius and Lockhart so he can "experiment")**

**Harry: (eats his cookie) Lockhart's a jerk.**

**Yugi: (takes his cookie and eats it) Who doesn't hate him?**

**Kara: Last, but certainly not least, is Kyte.**

**Kitty: I live in Rockville and attend Rockville High School, and that's not exactly close to Annapolis. (cries) Wah. When you coming?**

**Marik: (grins evilly) Man, you've got the BEST weapons.**

**Atem: Have to agree with you there. (grins evilly too)**

**Amelda: (bonks Seto on the head) RR!**

**Seto: (bonks him back) It's my turn to say that!**

**Amelda: (bonk)**

**Seto: (bonk)**

**Amelda: (bonk)**

**Seto: (bonk)**

**Amelda: (bonk)**

**Seto: (bonk)**


	8. Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Messages

_**Amelda: (bonk)**_

_**Seto: (bonk)**_

_**Amelda: (bonk)**_

_**Kitty: Okies, let's start the next chappie.**_

_**Yugi: Is this the one you told me would start the bad stuff you've been planning?**_

_**Kitty: (cries) IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT! (starts crying in the corner)**_

_**Valon: (gives Kitty a slight hug) Aw, c'mon now, lass, stop crying. **_

_**Yugi: Hey, what are you**** doing here?**_

_**Kitty: (sniff) I didn't like him really until the Seal took him... (glomps Valon) YOU WERE SO SWEET RIGHT THEN!**_

_**Valon: (grins)**_

_**Amelda: (stops bonking Seto for a minute) Get out of here, Valon, you're stealing Kitty.**_

_**Yugi: Right; from me. (looks ready to kill)**_

_**Kitty: (glomps Amelda, Valon and Yugi at the same time) R and R! **_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**Mudbloods and Messages**

Pixies turned out to be the least of the students' problems.

Diana woke up the next morning and sat down in the Great Hall with the other Gryffindors, to notice that one of their number wasn't there.

"Hey," Diana said, "Where's Harry?"

"Quidditch practice this morning," Hermione told her as she helped herself to the marmalade, "Lavender told me they've been up since the crack of dawn."

"_The crack of dawn_?" repeated Diana, "How do I _know_ this is Wood's fault?"

"But still," Yugi muttered, looking up at the clock, "It's been almost two hours since then…"

"They should be just about done," said Ron.

Diana looked up at the clock herself.

"I think I'll go check on them…" she muttered, grabbing a piece of toast, "Don't want Wood to completely exhaust our dear Seeker…"

She got up from the Gryffindor table, Yugi, Ron and Hermione right behind her.

A few minutes down the Hall, they heard a familiar voice.

"Could you _please_ stop taking photos of me already? You probably have plenty, and I have work to do…"

"Hey, Kaiba-kun," said Yugi.

Seto grinned in relief at them, putting the Millennium Rod he was holding back in his pocket as a small, mousy-haired boy with a camera came scampering along behind him.

"Konnichiwa, Yugi-kun," he greeted.

"_Ooh_," the little boy breathed, his eyes on Yugi, "You're Yugi Mutou, are you?"

"Uh…yeah," Yugi replied awkwardly.

"I'm Colin Creevey," the boy introduced himself, "I'm in Gryffindor too! I wonder…could I…could you…can I have a picture with you and Kaiba?"

"A picture?" Yugi repeated blankly.

"Not _now_," muttered Seto, grabbing Yugi's arm and pulling him out of the scene, "Sorry, Creevey, but we have to go see Harry-kun's Quidditch practice."

Diana, Ron and Hermione shrugged as they followed the two duelists outside.

When they got to the Quidditch field, the Gryffindor team was just leaving the locker rooms.

"Aren't you finished yet?" Ron asked Harry.

"Haven't even started," the Boy Who Lived yawned, "Wood's been teaching us new moves."

Diana frowned. "Always knew he was a nutcase…you haven't even eaten yet, have you?"

Harry shook his head, and Diana handed him her piece of toast.

"Eat it," she told him, "Can't do new moves without anything to eat…"

Harry didn't need telling twice. "Thanks, Dare."

"Forget it," Diana smiled, "I'm the one who barely eats anything, remember? _I'll_ survive; _you_ won't."

The team started flying around the field in different formations, until Diana saw some familiar green shapes coming toward them.

"The Slytherin Quidditch team?" she thought out loud.

Wood and the rest of Gryffindor team landed next to the Slytherins, and Diana and the others rushed over.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed, "This is _our_ practice time! We got it up specially. You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint was smirking in a kind of poor-minded cunning. "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood…"

"But I booked the field!" Wood was positively spitting with rage, "I _booked_ it!"

"Ah," Flint said in a mellow tone, holding up a scroll, "But I've got a signed note from Professor Snape."

Seto, taking everyone by surprise, snatched the note of Flint's hand and read it out loud.

"'_I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'_"

"You have a new Seeker?" Wood asked, distracted, "Where?"

And from behind the six troll-like figures that were the Slytherin team came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face.

"_Malfoy_!" Diana snarled, "Who did your father have to torture and blackmail to get _you_ on the team?"

"Funny you should mention my father, Randall," said Malfoy, smirking still more broadly and holding out his broom, "Let me show you the generous gift he made to our team."

Diana's eyes widened in fury and shock. "Those are Nimbus 2001s!" 

"Very latest model," Malfoy agreed, flicking a speck of dust off the end of his own, "Only came out last month. I believe it outstrips the Nimbus 2000 by a fair amount…but who knows? Maybe the Gryffindor team will raise up some money too…you could raffle off those Cleansweep 5s they're using; I expect a museum would bid for 'em."

The Slytherin team roared with laughter. Diana's eyes were narrowed in hatred.

"At least people don't have to buy fancy brooms to get on the Gryffindor team," snapped Hermione, "_They_ get in on pure talent."

Malfoy's eyes flashed.

"No one asked _your_ opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

There was an uproar. Flint had to jump in front of Malfoy to stop the Weasley twins from jumping on him; Alicia shrieked, "_You son of a bitch_!"; Ron pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face…

A loud BANG echoed around the stadium, and a jet of white light came out of the wrong side of Ron's wand, whamming him right in the stomach and hurtling him backward onto the grass. 

"_Ron_!" squealed Hermione, going over to him, "Ron, are you alright?"

Yugi, Harry, Seto and Diana came over too and helped Ron sit up.

"Ron-kun, say something," Yugi said worriedly.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he gave a huge belch, and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth and onto his lap.

The Slytherin team howled with laughter. Marcus Flint was leaning on his new broom for support, and Malfoy was on all fours, slamming the ground with his fist.

The rest of the Gryffindor team kept a wary distance away from Ron, as he belched up a few more slugs. No one seemed to want to touch him.

"C'mon," muttered a newly-appeared Seth, "Let's get him to Hagrid's, it's closest."

Atem appeared too and nodded, as he and Seth each took one of Ron's arms and helped him stand up, before running over to Hagrid's with the other Brits.

Harry knocked on Hagrid's door; a few seconds later, Hagrid opened it and beamed at them.

"Bin wonderin' when you were gonna come and see me," he told them, before letting them in.

The two Yamis helped Ron sit down in a chair and Hagrid dropped a big bucket in front of him.

"Get 'em all up then, Ron," said Hagrid, before looking at the others, "So who was he trying to curse anyway?"

"Malfoy," said Harry.

"He called Mione-kun something," Seth explained, "It must have been really bad; everyone looked ready to kill him…"

"It _was_ really bad!" Diana growled, "He called Mione a Mudblood, Hagrid!"

Hagrid looked as furious as Diana. "_He didn't_!"

"He did," said Hermione, "But I don't know what it means, even though it must have been some kind of an insult."

"It's not just an _insult_," Diana sighed, "Mudblood is a really foul term for someone who's Muggle-born, you know, with non-magic parents. It'd be as bad as nigger in the Muggle world, if you get what I mean."

Atem's eyes narrowed. "Wait…Malfoy called Kitty _'Mudblood' _at Flourish and Blotts…but Yugi and I only got mad at him because he called her a bitch…"

"He called Yugi and Marik it once too," agreed Diana, "In first year. I got in detention and lost twenty points for hexing him after that."

"I didn't know that," moaned Ron, before hurtling over the basin again to burp out more slugs. He wiped his forehead and repeated, "I never knew he called you guys that!"

"You were never there to hear him," Diana noted.

"Well, I think Ron was kinda lucky his wand backfired," said Hagrid, "I don't think ol' Lucius Malfoy would let 'im off easily if he cursed his son that severely."

"True," Seth sighed, "But none of us can deny Malfoy would deserve belching slugs…"

* * *

Harry started his detention with Lockhart rather moodily. Having to write Lockhart's fan mail, particularly for flying a car and almost getting killed, was not fun at all, particularly when Lockhart was giving you stupid advice like, _"Celebrity is as celebrity does," _and _"Fame is a fickle friend."_

But fun soon was out of the picture as Harry was writing out Veronica Smethley's address on what seemed like the millionth letter.

**"…_come…come to me…let me rip, tear…"_**

Harry jumped out of his seat, blotting a huge blot on the envelope he was writing on. 

"_What_?"

"I know!" beamed Lockhart, "Seven months on the _Daily Prophet_ Best Seller List _is_ pretty incredible-"

"No!" Harry whispered, "That voice!"

"Voice?" asked Lockhart, looking around the room, before grinning broadly, "I think you've become a little drowsy, Harry…and no _wonder_! We've been here nearly four hours! _Amazing_ how time flies when you're having fun…"

Harry listened for a minute, to hear nothing.

_/Very strange/_ he thought to himself.

As Harry headed back up to the Gryffindor common room, forgetting about his possible dinner in the Great Hall and instead thinking of his possible sleep, he tried to put the voice out of his mind.

But that proved difficult, after he heard it again.

**"…_so hungry…I smell blood…must kill…"_**

Harry panicked. _/It's going to kill someone/ _

He followed the sound of that terrible voice down the halls as it got louder and louder…

**"_kill…kill…KILL…"_**

Harry turned a corner, and then he saw it.

A message made up of foot-high words was painted in red on the stone wall.

* * *

**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED;**

**ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

* * *

**

And hanging from the torch bracket on the side of the message by her tail was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, stiff as a board and her eyes wide and unblinking.

Harry would've thought to get help, but a moment later, all the students from the Great Hall entered the corridor. Some muttered frantically; others let out small screams.

Diana, however, went over to Harry. Her eyes went over the motionless Mrs. Norris and then scanned the message expressionlessly.

"Blood…" she whispered as she sniffed the air, "The message is written in blood."

Almost right on cue, Malfoy pushed in front of the crowd.

"'_Enemies of the Heir, beware'_!" he read, shooting a broad smirk at where Yugi, Hermione and Ryou were standing, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

* * *

_**Yugi: (stares at Kitty) THIS is where the plot bunny's idea starts?**_

_**Kitty: (starts crying again)**_

_**Lina: Uh...reviews, Kara?**_

_**Kara: 8, and the first is from Claire!**_

_**Kitty: Aww... (glomps Claire) With my almighty authoress powers, I shall bless you with as much happiness as I possibly can!**_

_**Seto: Ah, the memories I wish I could rip to shreds... (sweatdrops) Kitty, I shall officially kill you for that later.**_

_**Yugi: (eyes turn to flames)**_

_**Seto: Err...never mind.**_

_**Yugi: (ahem) Hey, my mother is not the worst I've seen. Melisanne's family is no picnic either, and Ron-kun's mother is WAAAAY worse.**_

_**Ron: (shivers at the memory of the Howler)**_

_**Kitty: And Rayne Saijeuz! (grins) I did, and like I said, you can pass onto Arty that I like him better in your fic than in his books.**_

_**Lina: GLARING MATCH! That should be funny.**_

_**Diana: And Rainbow Guardian Angel.**_

_**Yugi: You're welcome. I hate it when people are upset, particularly my nicest fans and my dear Kitty.**_

_**Kitty: (glomps Yugi) Glad you enjoyed the bonk fight, Mizumi. And yeah, Lockhart... (rolls her eyes)**_

_**Atem: (hugs Mizumi back) And now...ANAYAS-CREATER.  
**_

_**Kitty: (lol) Your handling of Lockhart even now makes me laugh. (strikes a Chinese pose) HIII-YAH! (hits Malfoy in the stomach)**_

_**Malfoy: AH! (faints)**_

_**Yugi: (grins evilly) hee, hee, hee... (sends him to the Shadow Realm) Have fun!**_

_**Kitty: Yugi, you need to bring him back soon for the next chapters.**_

_**Yugi: (pouts) Next is Zelda Ally.**_

_**Kitty: (gets a BB gun shoved into her hands) YAY, TARGET PRACTICE! (shoots Jake a hundred million times!)**_

_**Lina: The musical part is easily forgotten by the intriguing plot, if you ask me. And yeah, Lockhart sucks.**_

_**Kara: Now...DarkMousyLover.**_

_**Kitty: Actually, if I could join Yugi there, then I'd gladly not...but as I love this fic so much... (glomps Yugi) I shall have to be with him in spirit... (cries)**_

_**Yugi: (kisses Kitty's cheek) And my Yami's role in this will become huge very, very soon, according to Kitty, anyway...even bigger than mine. **_

_**Everyone: (stares)**_

_**Kitty: (wails) **_

_**Lina: And last, Kyte's two reviews.**_

_**Kitty: (takes out her HUGE GIANT carton of her favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream and begins eating it) Everyone seems to have loved the bonk fight. **_

_**Lina: (looks at Amelda and Seto) Think you guys could do it again?**_

_**Seto: Only if I have a good reason to. I have a company to run.**_

_**Amelda: Only if I had a good reason to. Valon and I are currently bishie hostages of Kitty. **_

_**Kitty: (glomps Amelda and Valon) And now the Seal has taken you guys! God, all my coolest bishies have been stolen by the Seal...except for Atem, who ended up getting tricked into playing it!**_

_**Lina: And we shall make Lockhart pay most dearly for calling Seto that.**_

_**Seto: That nimrod WILL hear from my lawyers.**_

_**Valon: R and R!  
**_


	9. Chapter 8: An Unexpected Twist of Fate

_**Kitty: (crying)**_

_**Yugi: Kitty? Neko-chan, what's wrong?**_

_**Kitty: (sniff) This chapter...was the hardest...for me to write... (cries)**_

_**Lina: (sighs) Plot bunny.**_

_**Yugi: Finally we can find out what Kitty's been dreading to post...**_

_**Atem: R&R!**_

_**

* * *

**_  
**Chapter Eight:**

**An Unexpected Twist of Fate**

"What's going on over here?" 

Filch pushed his way in front of the crowd, no doubt alerted by Malfoy's shout. His eyes went over Diana and Harry grumpily, before widening at the sight of his cat hanging by her tail and stiff as a board.

"Mrs. Norris…?" he whispered weakly.

He rounded on the two Gryffindors. "_You brats murdered my cat_!"

"_No_!" Harry said in horror.

"We'd never!" snapped Diana.

It was then that Dumbledore arrived, along with Professors Sprout, McGonagall, Snape and Lockhart.

The Headmaster's pale blue eyes surveyed the scene, and then he spoke quite calmly, although you could hear a tone of urgency in his voice.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately…except Miss Randall and Mr. Potter," he added.

Everyone started to leave; however, Yugi came over to Dumbledore…or rather, the Pharaoh came over.

"Professor, I may not know the exact situation we are dealing with," Atem said seriously, "But I can tell with extreme certainty that neither of my friends are at fault for what happened."

Dumbledore nodded. "I trust your word, Pharaoh, but I still would like to have them present."

Atem nodded, shot a quick smile at the two Gryffindors, and then headed up the steps to the Gryffindor common room with Hermione and Ron.

Dumbledore first examined Mrs. Norris, which did take a while. Lockhart kept talking about how he could've saved her, while Filch was moping.

Diana looked at Harry.

"You _honestly_ don't know what happened?" she whispered.

"No," Harry replied, "I heard this voice…it sounded like it was going to kill someone…I followed it and I found this."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "You heard a _voice_?"

Harry nodded. "Couldn't you hear something down the hall?"

Diana shook her head. "The only thing I could've possibly heard were the hisses of the old school plumbing."

Harry stared at Diana quietly for a moment. Diana gripped her friend's hand.

"I think you should keep this voice to yourself," she advised, "Don't want them to think you're mental as well as at fault…"

"Mrs. Norris is not dead, Argus," Dumbledore suddenly spoke, "She has been Petrified."

"Ah! I thought so!" Lockhart said.

Diana turned back to Dumbledore. "_Petrified_, Professor? But how?"

"That, I'm afraid, I do not know," the Headmaster replied.

"Ask those two," snapped Filch, "You saw what they wrote on the wall."

"I already _told_ you: Harry and I did not write that message!" Diana snapped back, "I was at dinner, and Harry was in detention with Professor Lockhart! We came around the hallway at around the same time, that's all!"

There was a slight silence. Then McGonagall spoke.

"Randall, are you _sure_ you don't know anything about what happened?"

"_Yes_," Diana said firmly, "And neither does Harry. I asked him and he said so."

Dumbledore looked at Diana carefully, and she felt like she was being X-rayed. She tried not to look uneasy.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, "You two should go back up to your dormitories."

And with that, Harry and Diana left the scene.

* * *

The next morning in the Great Hall, a chilly and dreary Saturday, the friends ate breakfast quickly so they could meet each other in the library. 

"'_Enemies of the Heir, beware,'_" Ryou whispered to himself.

"Ryou, stop saying that, you're scaring me," snapped Yugi.

"I'm just thinking," said Ryou defensively.

"About what?" asked Diana.

"About Malfoy," Ryou admitted, "How does he know about all this?"

"Obvious, isn't it?" Ron said, "_He's_ the Heir of Slytherin! That's how."

"That's a bit of a farfetched theory, Ron," noted Hermione, "We don't know much about it ourselves; we need to find out more about it if we plan to investigate."

Marik, who had not spoken at all for minutes, finally said, "I know about it."

"You do?" asked Seto and Harry together.

"Yeah…I heard some Slytherins discussing it," Marik explained, "It has to do with one of the four Founders: Salazar Slytherin. The other Founders, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, liked the idea of the school to be open for any witch or wizard. Slytherin, however, wanted those of only _pure_ wizard blood to come to Hogwarts…they quarreled about it, and finally Slytherin left Hogwarts. Now this is where legend takes over. According to lore, Slytherin built a secret dominion in the castle known as the Chamber of Secrets…and when he left, he sealed it…until his true Heir could come and release the horror within the Chamber. The Heir alone could control Slytherin's monster, and use it to purge all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic."

"Muggle-borns," whispered Diana.

Ryou was shivering. Ron looked triumphant.

"That settles it!" the redhead boy said, "Malfoy's family are filled with the exact kind of nutters, right? Well then, he has every _reason_ to open the Chamber."

"I don't know…" Hermione muttered.

"Look at his family, Mione," Harry pointed out, "The whole lot of them could've been in Slytherin for _centuries_…"

"Passing the key down, from father to son," agreed Diana.

"Alright," Hermione stated, "But if we want to get _proof_, we'll need to investigate him without him knowing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Ron laughed.

"No, actually it's quite possible," said Marik quietly, "You forget; I'm a Slytherin, and Potions is my specialty, not just where Snape favors me."

The others looked at him keenly.

"We'll need a signed note to get the list of ingredients for it as it's sure to be in the Restricted Section," Marik continued, "But the Polyjuice Potion could turn some of our number into Slytherins. He probably blabs it to _everyone_ that it's him when I'm not around or paying attention."

"Great idea," said Diana, "But there are three things that shall need to occur; one, anyone with a Yami I think should be left out of this…who _knows_ what might go wrong…two, you should be around the halls to help us in, Marik…don't want to get lost and never be able to interrogate him…and three, we'll need to figure out who's going to be who."

"Crabbe and Goyle are always around Malfoy," Harry suggested, "Ron and I could be them."

"Millicent Bulstrode is a Slytherin girl who seems to be everywhere, and not just by her size," Marik noted, "Mione or Dare could be her."

"You be her, Mione," Diana smirked mischievously, "I have someone else in mind…"

"_Who_?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

Diana's smirk broadened. "Pansy Parkinson."

* * *

The plans for the Polyjuice Potion were under way…however, the Gryffindor VS Slytherin Quidditch match was a bit too distracting for the friends not to notice it. 

Someone had enchanted a Bludger to follow Harry around the Quidditch field; although it broke Harry's arm in the midst of the game, Harry was still able to catch the Snitch and win the game for Gryffindor.

_That_was fine. It was what Lockhart did afterwards.

"Well, that sometimes can happen…uh…but the bones aren't _broken_ anymore!"

"YOU COMPLETE BAKAYROU!" roared Seto, "THERE ARE NO BONES TO BE BROKEN!"

Lockhart had not mended Harry's bones. He'd removed them.

Madame Pomfrey was spitting with rage, and Harry was in for a tough and lonely night of regrowing all of the bones in his right arm.

* * *

Harry awoke in the middle of the night to the pains in his right arm…or was it? Now he realized someone was sponging his forehead in the dark. 

"AHHH!"

He jumped up off the bed, before seeing who had been there.

"_Dobby_?"

"Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter," the house-elf said tearfully, "Why oh _why_ did Harry Potter not go home after he and his friend missed the train?"

Harry's eyes narrowed in realization and fury. "It was _you_. _You_ stopped the barrier from letting Ron and me through! You almost got us _expelled_!"

"At least you'd be away from here, sir," squeaked Dobby, "Dobby had to iron his hands afterwards, but Dobby doesn't care! Harry Potter _must_ go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would make Harry Potter see-"

"_Your_ Bludger? _You_ made that Bludger chase after me?" Harry growled, his temper flaring, "You better scram before my bones grow back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!"

Dobby smiled weakly. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir…Dobby gets them three to four times a day at home…but Dobby _deserves_ to die, and Harry Potter does not! Someone has already died in these furious happenings, and now that history is repeating itself-"

"_Repeating itself_?" Harry repeated excitedly, "You mean these things have happened _before_?"

Dobby clapped a hand to his mouth. "Dobby shouldn't have said that!"

It was then that footsteps were heard in the hall.

"Dobby must leave!"

And with a loud CRACK, Dobby was gone.

Harry turned over and pretended to be asleep as the footsteps entered the Hospital Wing.

"Headmaster, Minerva, what has happened?" the voice of Madame Pomfrey said.

"There has been another attack," replied McGonagall.

There was the sound of someone being placed on a bed, and Madame Pomfrey gasped.

"Oh, no," she said in a hushed voice, "Not _him_…"

"It is indeed an unexpected twist of fate," Dumbledore whispered solemnly.

"What should I tell the staff, Albus?" asked McGonagall.

"The truth," Dumbledore replied, "Hogwarts is no longer safe. The Chamber of Secrets is open again."

Harry finally got curious enough to turn over when he heard the professors and Madame Pomfrey leave.

But after he did, he wished that he hadn't.

Yugi was lying on a hospital bed two down and one across, completely motionless and the Millennium Puzzle lying on his bedside table.

* * *

_**Everyone: (silent)**_

_**(crickets chirp)**_

_**Yugi: (stares at Kitty) THAT was the dreaded idea?  
**_

_**Kitty: (bawls) WAAAHHH! YUGI!**_

_**Yugi: (puts his arms around Kitty) **_

_**Atem: Kitty, why?**_

_**Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT!**_

_**Lina: (crying) Reviews? **_

_**Kara: Rainbow Guardian Angel is first...and how do I know she's not going to like this chapter either?**_

_**Kitty: (sniff) The good news is... (sniff) Atem is not gone! He IS going to have that larger role.**_

_**Atem: (smiles) That's good... (frowns) But what about my Hikari? **_

_**Kitty: (goes back to crying)**_

_**Hermione: (nibbling on her cookie) I sure hope Malfoy suffers.**_

_**Ron: (eats his in one swallow) Me too!**_

_**Lina: Next is Engie!**_

_**Kitty: ENGIE! (glomps her friend) Hey girl! Phantom of the Opera rocks.**_

_**Yugi: Even though I'm in a triangle with my Yami and my best friend, I do like the fic. **_

_**Kitty: (grins) But you would look really sexy in a black dress, Yugi.**_

_**Yugi: KITTY!**_

_**Kitty: (laughs) Spin the Bottle Truth or Dare... The best game ever created... **_

_**Yugi: (blushing furiously) **_

_**Diana: And now...Rayne Saijeuz.**_

_**Kitty: Ohhh... I wanna know what you're gonna do! (pouts) **_

_**Yugi: (grins evilly) And Fowls are better than Kaibas.**_

_**Seto: THEY ARE NOT!**_

_**Kara: Now we have ZeldaAlly.**_

_**Kitty: (smirks evilly) How about this: each chapter I'll have another char shoot him, to stop him from coming back twice? And since I wish the plot bunny was dead right now for this chapter, my bishie Yugi can go first.  
**_

_**Yugi: (grabs the BB gun) MWAHAHAHA (shoots the be-jesus out of Jake) **_

_**Diana: Last, but certainly not least is ANAYAS-CREATOR.**_

_**Kitty: I'm going there with my Chorus in June. (grins) We're gonna sing and see a Broadway show there! (does a little jig)**_

_**Lina: And we can't wait to read more of your fic!**_

_**Kitty: I saw the Oscars! (growls) And I think Finding Neverland and The Phantom of the Opera should've gotten more awards!**_

_**Yugi: Yeah...the Aviator got everything.**_

_**Kitty: I don't think they deserved all of that...is it just me, or does Johnny Depp never seem to get the awards he deserves, even though everyone will say he was completely and utterly awesome?**_

_**Lina: (shrugs) Sad but true.**_

_**Yugi: At least A Series of Unfortunate Events got an award for Make-up.**_

_**Kitty: And the Incredibles won Best Animation. I'm surprised: I didn't think that film got a lot of nominations...and I thought everyone would be boring and go for Shrek 2.**_

_**Lina: But the Best Song thing was pathetic.**_

_**Kitty: I dunno...I didn't like that Spanish song; my fav was "Learn to be Lonely."**_

_**Yugi: What about "Believe" by Josh Groban?  
**_

_**Kitty: I liked it, but it was too short and didn't quite deserve an Oscar. Question: why on earth did they choose Beyonce to do most of these songs?**_

_**Yugi: Great question. Why choose a pop star to do two ballads and a choral piece with a all-boy choir?  
**_

_**Diana: The world may never know. (sighs) R and R!**_


	10. Chapter 9: A New Host and Hikari

_**Kitty: (holding Yugi really close to her, her eyes are closed)**_

_**Lina: Any change, Yugi?**_

_**Yugi: As tight as ever. She's taking the plot bunny's idea very hard. **_

_**Atem: Was she even able to write the chapter?**_

_**Kitty: ( does not open her eyes, but slowly points at her computer)**_

_**Lina: Her first signs of life in minutes!**_

_**Yugi: Neko-chan? Kitten, are you alright?**_

_**Amelda: Hopefully she'll be in good enough condition to answer the reviews.**_

_**Noa: She will be. She was able to survive Yugi being taken by the Seal to a certain extent...**_

_**Atem: After how much crying?**_

_**Noa: About a week's.**_

_**Amelda: (sighs) R&R!

* * *

**_

Chapter Nine:

A New Host and Hikari

Harry didn't exactly know how he got to sleep again that night after seeing his friend Petrified, but he did indeed wake up the next morning, his glasses still on, and found his arm full of bones again. 

Madame Pomfrey was putting new flowers in the vase next to Yugi's bed; Harry climbed out of his bed, absently staring at Yugi's blank face.

Madame Pomfrey turned and smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry, dear."

Harry said nothing as he sat down on the bed next to Yugi. Madame Pomfrey obviously sensed he wanted to be alone, so she picked up the Millennium Puzzle and turned to leave.

"What are you going to do with Yugi's Puzzle?" Harry finally spoke.

"I'm confiscating it," Madame Pomfrey said quietly.

Without really knowing why, Harry took the Millennium Puzzle out of her hand.

"I'll hold it for him," he replied, "I'm his friend…and I think he'd feel better knowing I held onto it for him."

Madame Pomfrey didn't say anything for a moment, and then she nodded curtly and left.

Harry looked down at the Millennium Puzzle quietly for a moment, before putting it around his neck.

A bright white light flashed in front of his eyes, blinding him. Then, when he could see again, he found himself in a room he'd never seen before.

It was definitely a bedroom, with broad windows to show large fields, with people on broomsticks flying off in the distance. The room was covered with pictures of his friends and he goofing off, as well as Quidditch posters that looked a lot like the ones Diana and Ron were always showing off.

Harry looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was, and then saw a door. Without hesitation, he seized the doorknob and opened the door.

He found himself in a black and purple hallway, and across the way was another door, painted black with the gold Millennium symbol on it.

Right then, the door opened, and a very familiar face appeared.

_-__Harry-kun…-_

* * *

Diana, Marik, Hermione and Ron were in the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom working on the Polyjuice Potion, when they heard the door open. 

They all raced to hide from Percy, until another voice greeted them.

"Dare? Marik? Ron?"

"Harry!" Diana came out from behind a bathroom stall, "You scared us half to _death_!"

"Did you hear about Yugi?" asked Hermione worriedly.

"Yeah," replied Harry, before pointing to something around his neck.

"Why do you have the Millennium Puzzle, Harry?" Ron asked in shock.

Harry shrugged. "I thought I aught to hold onto it for him…but I didn't expect this…"

Right then, Atem appeared in his spirit form next to Harry.

"Hi, all," the Pharaoh greeted sadly.

"_Atem_!" Diana said, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm using Harry as a substitute host until Yugi can be un-Petrified," Atem muttered glumly, "Sprout's working on it."

"Ryou said he wrote to Kitty about what happened," Hermione said tentatively, "But she hasn't written back yet."

"Neko-chan will be _crushed_," Atem whispered tearfully, "_Why_ didn't I protect him well enough? Why couldn't I _save_ him?"

"Don't go beating yourself up, mate," Ron tried to comfort him, "It's not _your_ fault."

"Yes, it is," Atem moaned, "Yugi-kun was going to go see Harry-kun in the Hospital Wing after dark, and he heard something. I got scared for his safety, so I tried to take over…but I felt myself being slammed into the back of my soul-room and the door closed. I tried to open it, but it was locked. I tried to use the mind-link but he wouldn't answer…I kept calling and calling and he wouldn't _answer_…"

Diana couldn't remember ever seeing the Pharaoh so sad, let alone crying.

"C'mon, Atem," she whispered, "If you want to help Yugi, crying isn't the way to do it. We _need_ to get proof that Malfoy is the Heir of Slytherin so he can get the proper punishment for hurting our friend. So let's get to work on this potion."

Atem at first didn't reply; then he wiped away some of his tears, and nodded faintly.

"How long will it take to make?" asked Harry.

"Unfortunately, a month," Marik sighed, "And although tons more Muggle-borns could be attacked by then, we've got nothing better."

"And the whole school could be counting on us," Hermione added.

"So full steam ahead, I say," Ron finished.

* * *

A week later, posters were put up all over Hogwarts about a new Dueling Club starting. With the threat of the Heir of Slytherin and Diana ready to strangle them if they didn't come with her, the friends knew not going would be foolish.

"_This_ should be interesting," said Marik, "I mean, the only time I could've seen a Wizard's Duel was with Dare, Atem and Mione, and that turned out to be a trick to get us all in trouble."

"Ah, I see I'm not forgotten, even in the _riffraff_," mocked a familiar voice.

"Go away, Malfoy," Ron growled.

"So _rude_," Malfoy teased, before putting on a look of feigned surprised, "Oh, where is dear Starhead?" he smirked, "Oh, _yeah_…he's feeling a little _unwell_, isn't he? I do hope it's _life-threatening_…"

Seto looked ready to jump on him and beat the shit out of him, and Hermione and Ryou had a lot of difficulty holding the much taller boy back. Harry was trying furiously to keep Atem in his soul-room, as he was already shouting furiously in Egyptian through their mind-link.

"Shut your fat mouth, Malfoy or else I'll _make_ you," snapped Diana.

"Ooh, I'm _so_ scared," Malfoy said sarcastically.

Diana's eyes flashed red, and Malfoy's eyes widened as he took a step back.

"You wouldn't _dare_," he hissed.

"Haven't you ever heard people calling me _'Dare?'_" Diana smirked evilly, "Stick around if you want to see what I'll dare to do, you little-"

But her statement did not finish itself, Lockhart climbed up onto the stage, grinning broadly and cheekily, and started speaking over the crowd.

"Quiet down, please, quiet down! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me?"

Lockhart's grin broadened.

"_Excellent_! Now, in the midst of these dark happenings, I've decided to start this little Dueling Club, to _defend_ yourselves if you ever need to, as I myself have done on countless occasions! I only wish I could have gotten to Slytherin's monster before it got to Mr. Mutou…I know _exactly_ the spell that could've spared him; read my public works for more details."

Harry heard Atem growl in the back of his throat.

_-Lockhart, Kisama…how dare you use my Hikari in your pathetic publicity stunt…-_

_/Atem, be quiet/_ Harry thought, _/I'm sure there's some room in the Shadow Realm waiting specially for him…but as we're in a huge crowd surrounded by rabid Lockhart fan-girls, you'll have to wait./_

Lockhart cleared his throat. "And now, I'd like to introduce my assistant…"

Another person came up on stage, and Harry groaned.

"Professor Snape has sportingly agreed to help me with a little demonstration," Lockhart continued, "But I don't want any of you youngsters to _worry_…you'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him, never fear…"

Bakura appeared in Ryou's place with an evil smirk. "I'd be more worried about the Defense Against Dark Arts vacancy for the rest of the year if it were _me_…"

Diana laughed at the Tomb Robber's comment and Hermione whacked both of them on the back of the head, hissing at them angrily.

The two professors faced each other as they drew their wands; they held them in front of their faces and then lowered them. They bowed toward each other (or rather, Lockhart bowed and Snape barely inclined his head), and then they walked to opposite sides on the stage, brandishing their wands like swords in front of them.

"On the count of three," said Lockhart, "One…two…_three_!"

"_Expelliamus_!" Snape reacted immediately, red light shooting out of his wand and slamming Lockhart into the opposite wall and making his wand go flying.

The Slytherins were all cheering. Even Marik was clapping.

"I like that slimeball more than I thought," he laughed.

Hermione, on the other hand, was dancing around on her tip-toes trying to look over the crowd.

"Do you think he's alright?" she asked, obviously about Lockhart.

"Who cares?" Bakura and Diana said together.

Lockhart got to his feet, his wavy hair a little mussed up but still grinning broadly.

"Excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape," he commented as he picked up his wand, "_That_, ladies and gentlemen, was a Disarming Charm…an elementary charm that I easily could've blocked if I had wanted to, but as this is to _teach_ you…"

Obviously catching Snape's dangerous look, Lockhart cleared his throat and said, "Now, let's have a volunteer pair, shall we? Randall, Weasley, how about you?"

Diana got up on the stage, but Snape stepped in before Ron could climb up.

"Weasley's wand causes the devastation with the _simplest_ spells," he intruded coldly, "We'd be sending the rest of Randall up to the Hospital Wing in a matchbox."

Ron smiled sheepishly at Diana, knowing that Snape was right no matter how evil or unfair he might be.

"How about someone from _my_ house?" asked Snape slyly.

Diana immediately gestured toward Marik.

"No, I don't think so," Snape smirked down at her, "Mr. Malfoy, get up here."

Diana glared as Malfoy jumped up on stage, smirking as he took out his wand. She took out her own and they faced each other, wands up at their faces.

"Let's see what you've got, Randall," whispered Malfoy so the teachers couldn't hear him.

"You're going to regret those words," snarled Diana.

They brought their wands down, and inclined their heads, not taking their glaring eyes away from each other. Then they started toward the opposite sides of the stage, and brandished their wands just like the two professors had.

"Now cast your spells to disarm your opponent…_only_ to disarm," added Lockhart, "We don't want any accidents. On the count of three…one…two-"

"_Averte Sactum_!" yelled Malfoy before it was time; a light came from his wand and whammed into Diana, knocking her backwards onto the floor.

The Slytherins roared with laughter; Malfoy smirked down at her; Bakura yelled, "Get up, Dare-kun!"

Diana got up rather quickly, her temper flaring as she roared, "_Stupefy_!"

Her own flash of light slammed into Malfoy, throwing him back against the wall. He shakily got up, looking as though he'd gone numb in a few areas.

"_I said disarm only_!" Lockhart said desperately, but neither Diana nor Malfoy cared.

"_Tarentellegra_!" shouted Malfoy, and a shot of light came from his wand.

Diana, however, was ready.

"_Protego_!" she yelled, and a white shield appeared in front of her and stopped Malfoy's spell, before retorting with "_Rictusempra_!"

Malfoy ducked Diana's spell, and shrieked, "_Serpensortia_!"

And to Diana's shock, a black snake came shooting out of Malfoy's wand. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back.

"Don't move, Randall," said Snape rather coolly, "I'll get rid of it for you…"

"Allow me!" interrupted Lockhart, brandishing his wand at the snake.

There was a BANG; the snake flew about eight feet into the air, before slamming back onto the ground, hissing and spitting irately.

It slithered toward Diana, its fangs bared; Diana stepped backward, trying to get it away from her.

Then out of nowhere, a hissing came from next to the stage.

Diana gawked at Harry, who was now hissing at the snake furiously. Her eyes widened, as the snake became docile on the floor.

"_Vipera Evanesca_," Diana barely recognized Snape's voice as the snake vanished into grey smoke.

Harry looked up at Diana, and Diana felt fear within her she'd barely known before course through her, before jumping off the stage and running out of the Great Hall.

* * *

_**Atem: Chapter completed!**_

_**Yugi: (still held onto by Kitty) Time to answer the reviews!**_

_**Noa: Who's first?**_

_**Lina: Ma-LI-KE he Kaiba, and she gave us presents! I officially thank you for everyone you mentioned as only a few of us are around today. (grins) Spa trip!**_

_**Amelda: (hugs his little brother tight) I officially love you.**_

_**Kitty: (SMILES!) Hi, Mikey.**_

_**Yugi: My angel speaks! **_

_**Noa: Are you okay, Kitty?**_

_**Kitty: Just to tell you, Mikey, I've always admired you for believing in Dina-Dude.**_

_**Mikey: (grins) I like you already. (looks at Amelda) Is she your girlfriend?**_

_**Yugi: (blushes in fury) WHAT?**_

_**Amelda: No...she's Yugi's. But she's a friend. **_

_**Mikey: Cool! (glomps Kitty)**_

_**Kitty: (hugs Mikey back) Now I know why you were so mad at Kaiba, Amelda! Your brother's a total sweetheart.**_

_**Yugi: (mutters furiously to himself)**_

_**Lina: The next review is from Claire.**_

_**Kitty: It's okay... (hugs Claire) I haven't updated in IWYF in a long time either... (mutters) Note to Self: gotta do that.**_

_**Yugi: (smiles) He'll never hurt MY Kitten. EVER. Even when he's joking.**_

_**Kitty: (kisses Yugi's cheek) And I am still upset. (cries) I shall never forgive the plot bunny for this. NEVER.**_

_**Noa: Of course, Malfoy did have something to say about Yugi being attacked... **_

_**Atem: (growls) That little ferret is lucky Harry was holding me back...**_

_**Amelda: And I'm kind of surprised Kitty hasn't flooded her room by now...**_

_**Yugi: Most of Kitty's crying is internal...which can make her run a fever, throw up, or be unable to move or speak for long periods of time.**_

_**Amelda: Gosh.**_

_**Lina: Next...Kyte.**_

_**Kitty: (sweatdrop) I won't bother you and Valon, believe me. I just expect to be able to say hi to him once and a while. (winks)**_

_**Atem: And now you know what happens to me...**_

_**Yugi: I'm kinda glad my Yami isn't gone along with me. That'd be terribly boring...**_

_**Noa: (rolls his eyes) And I feel like screaming that Malfoy is still alive, to be frank.**_

_**Kitty: Amen, Noa, Amen!**_

_**Lina: Last...Rainbow Guardian Angel...and she is upset.**_

_**Kitty: (smiles grimly) Someone noticed Marik's vagueness...but I'm not saying about it now, as it's too easy in the fic even for me to hint anything.**_

_**Atem: (smirks evilly) And I'll pass on the ice cream to Harry-kun... (runs away with the carton of ice cream)**_

_**Yugi: (sighs) Why do I not trust him to deliver the carton with the ice cream still in it?**_

_**Kitty: Because we know him too well.**_

_**Lina: R&R! **_


	11. Chapter 10: Doubt and a Double Attack

_**Kitty: Wow, I'm updating this fic a lot...**_

_**Lina: Isn't that good?**_

_**Kitty: (frowns) Well...not really...**_

_**Everyone: (stares)**_

_**Noa: WHAT?**_

_**Kitty: (sniff) Because this chapter is continuing the tragedy...and it's not the end.**_

_**Yugi: (gawks) Oh, no...**_

_**Atem: (looks nervously at Yugi) R&R!**_

_**

* * *

**_  
**Chapter Ten:**

**Doubts and a Double Attack**

Diana collapsed onto her bed in the girls' dormitory, feeling scared and shocked at the same time. 

_/Harry…a Parselmouth? How can this be/_

Diana didn't know what to think. Parselmouths were always associated with Dark Wizards…hell, Salazar Slytherin himself was a Parselmouth!

_/Could Harry be the Heir of Slytherin? Would he really attack Yugi? Did he lie to me about knowing anything about what happened to Mrs. Norris? What did he say to that snake/_

A million questions zipped through her head, one after another, until a voice cut through her thoughts about fifteen minutes later.

"Dare?"

Diana looked up at Hermione as she sat down on her own bed next to hers.

"Dare, are you okay?" her friend asked her.

Diana sighed. "Sure. Whatever."

"Dare, don't give me that," Hermione said sharply, "And if you're thinking Harry could be the Heir of Slytherin, then I'll tell you right now that Harry didn't know he was a Parselmouth."

Diana laughed hollowly. "I wish _I_ could do that. I wish _I_ could pretend I didn't know I was something…"

"Oh, shut your mouth," Hermione snapped, "I'm _serious_. Harry said he thought he was speaking regular English."

Diana snorted. "Wow, a snake would actually be able to understand English… maybe I should've told the snake to go bite up Lockhart's ass then, eh?"

"I'm _serious_!" Hermione hissed at her.

"And I can't _believe_ you!" retorted Diana, "How the bloody hell can you believe _him_?"

"Those are some of the last words I thought I'd ever hear you say, Dare," Hermione replied coldly, "Particularly about Harry. You're one of the most loyal friends I think I've ever seen; don't stop your loyalty now."

"Look, Mione," Diana muttered, "I trust my friends a lot…but what am I supposed to believe? Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth himself! It's what he was _famous_ for! Harry must be the first Parselmouth in centuries!"

"But he's your _friend_!" snapped Hermione, "You know he feels almost the exact same way you do about evil! He doesn't shun you because you're the Heir of Artemis, and you shouldn't shun him because he's a Parselmouth!"

"I'm not _shunning_ him!" Diana snapped back, "I just think it's a little too much to be a _coincidence_ that the Heir of Slytherin starts attacking people right before we find out he's a Parselmouth!"

Diana got under her bed covers and rolled over.

Hermione didn't reply to her comment, but she did faintly hear her whisper, "Harry told me he thought of you like a sister who'd always be there for him if he got into trouble. Looks like he didn't know you well enough."

A sudden guilt ran through her. Diana almost wanted to respond, but she instead pulled the covers over her head and forced herself to sleep.

* * *

Diana avoided Harry the next day, just wanting to be alone and think over what had happened the other day. So she sat in the library skipping out on the Gryffindors' and Hufflepuffs' Transfiguration class, thinking to herself. 

_/Mione's right…/_ she thought, _/No matter how Harry may or may not be…he is my friend./_

Making her mind up quickly, she got up and started heading over toward the Transfiguration classroom to wait outside for him.

But when she got to the Transfiguration hallway, she saw a crowd of people muttering furiously.

"Caught in the act!" Diana heard Ernie Macmillan's voice.

"That's _enough_, Macmillan," snapped the voice of McGonagall, "Help blow Sir Nicolas up to the Hospital Wing. Professor Flitwick, could you get the boy?"

"Certainly, Minerva," said the chirpy voice of Flitwick, "That poor, poor boy…"

Diana finally found her way through the crowd, to the scariest sight she'd ever seen in her life.

Nearly Headless Nick was floating in the air, no longer a silvery white, but a smoky, motionless grey, and behind him, Petrified and looking absolutely terrified, was Ryou.

"_What happened to Ryou_?" she demanded, shoving in front of the other students and running over to her Petrified friend.

"Potter did it!" said Ernie, "We caught him in the act!"

"_Enough_, Macmillan," McGonagall snapped.

Harry looked at Diana desperately. "Dare, I didn't-"

"Potter, follow me, please," said McGonagall quietly.

Knowing he had no choice, Harry sadly followed McGonagall up the stairs and out of sight.

Diana looked from the stairs to the Petrified Ryou, who Flitwick was now magicking onto a stretcher. Quietly she followed Ernie and Flitwick up to the Hospital Wing, not taking her eyes off of Ryou's lifeless form.

"So," whispered Ernie solemnly as Ryou was being placed on a Hospital bed.

"What?" muttered Diana.

"Looks like Potter betrayed more than one of his friends today," Ernie said, "First Yugi and now Ryou…two great friends betrayed, not to mention you. But don't worry, he tricked all of us-"

"Shut up and go away," Diana whispered, before going over and sitting down next to her friend's bed.

Ernie was probably startled, but right then, Diana didn't care.

As he and Professor Flitwick left, she tried to remember the last thing she said to Ryou before this happened. The only problem was the last time she could've said anything to him was in Transfiguration, which she skipped.

Diana looked absently at the Millennium Ring around Ryou's neck. The last time she'd seen Bakura was at the Dueling Club…he'd encouraged her to get back up on her feet during her and Malfoy's duel.

It was then that she wondered whether Bakura was alright or not.

Diana looked around the Hospital Wing quickly, before cautiously gripping onto the Millennium Ring and pulling it over his head and off his neck. She looked down at the Millennium Item for a moment, before putting it around her own neck.

There was a bright flash of white light, and she suddenly found herself in an unfamiliar room.

It was a pretty dark room; one area in the room was lit by light coming from a large window and the rest was draped in the darkness ahead. The lighted area had a bed and had Quidditch posters, a few photographs of her mother and friends, and a picture of Josh Groban on the walls.

Diana looked around, and then saw a red-painted door in the corner. Hesitantly she grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

She found herself in a black and purple hallway, and saw a door across the way with the gold Millennium symbol on it.

The door opened, and out came a very familiar face.

_-Dare-kun!-_ Bakura gasped, _-What are you doing here? –_

_/I took the Millennium Ring from Ryou/_ Diana replied, _/He…he was attacked by the Heir of Slytherin./_

Bakura stared. _-Ryou…was attacked…? –_

Diana nodded sadly. _/I'm so, so sorry, Bakura…/_

Bakura bowed his head so that his eyes were into shadow.

_-Don't be,-_ he muttered dully.

Diana was silent for a moment; then she went over to the Tomb Robber, and actually put her arms around him and held him close.

_/Bakura, I'm your host now, so I know your feelings as well as I do my own…but you don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to./_

Bakura pulled away for a minute, looking at Diana carefully. Then tears filled his eyes, and he broke down completely, sobbing into her shoulder.

_-Ryou, you pathetic weakling, why didn't you let me take over sooner…? -_ he moaned quietly.

Diana had always known Ryou and Bakura had never gotten along very well…who didn't? They were complete and utter opposites, and although she was very fond of the raucous Tomb Robber, she knew that no matter how much Bakura might deny it, he did care about his other half. And with that in mind, Diana made a solemn promise to herself right then. 

_/I will make the Heir of Slytherin pay for hurting my friends…/_

_

* * *

**Kitty: End.**_

_** Yugi: RYOU?**_

_**Ryou: (cries) I'm Petrified too?**_

_**Bakura: (glares at Kitty) I hate you.**_

_**Kitty: Why? You can hang out with Dare now, and won't have to worry about "your weakling Hikari."**_

_**Bakura: No, I like you for that. I hate you for making me look like a wimp at the end.**_

_**Lina and Kitty: (whack Bakura on the head at the same time) **_

_**Diana: (rolls her eyes) Let's get to the reviews, please?**_

_**Kitty: (looks at Diana attentively) **_

_**Diana: First is from aNIme-Azn-aNgEl. **_

_**Kitty: (grins) Thank you for the compliments... (frowns) and I hate the plot bunny for taking Yugi out, so I agree with you. And Seto's part will stay pretty big for a while, and Seth will too.  
**_

_**Kara: And...Kyte.**_

_**Kitty: (glomps Yugi as tears again flood her eyes)**_

_**Yugi: (blink) I'M ACTUALLY TALLER THAN SOMEONE! (does a little dance)**_

_**Atem: You're taller than Mokuba, Rebecca and Mikey.**_

_**Yugi: (sweatdrop) And HOW much younger are they from me?**_

_**Atem: Good point. **_

_**Lina: Next is ANAYAS-CREATOR's two reviews.**_

_**Kitty: Actually, I'm not sure which play we're going to see yet as my teacher hasn't been able to figure out which one has enough openings for all of us to see it. (sighs) But I saw one brochure for "The Phantom of the Opera!" (crosses fingers and prays a hundred million times) And thanks!**_

_**Diana: Onward to Rainbow's review.**_

_**Harry: (happily eats his ice cream) Yum. And I do hope having Atem in my head won't be too hard.  
**_

_**Yugi: (sighs) It is indeed a wonder that I can deal with him...it's a rare and special talent, let me assure you.**_

_**Atem: (glares) Some Hikari you are.  
**_

_**Kitty: (hides behind Yugi) I don't like snakes very much...I can barely go into the reptile house, to be frank.**_

_**Yugi: (holds Kitty tight) Ah, the joys of hurting Lockhart and Malfoy...and Mizumi, Slypher is all yours. Consider him a gift.**_

_**Lina: Onto Claire's review!**_

_**Kitty: I love the Crucible! (tears fill her eyes) I didn't know. That's awful.**_

_**Diana: (grins evilly) It was fun. Quite fun.**_

_**Harry: Looks like you'll have to wonder right along with me on how having Atem around will be...**_

_**Kitty: (snuggles the adorable lion) Awwww... he's so cute. Thank you. I feel so much better now... (glomps you)**_

_**Yugi: And we can't wait to read more of your fic, although I half wish I could rip Drake to shreds first.**_

_**Kara: Finally, we have ZeldaAlly.**_

_**Kitty: Alright, according to your order, it's Marik's turn to shoot the evil demon known as Jake.**_

_**Marik: (takes the BB gun, smirking evilly) You rock, girl! (shoots Jake so many times that his internal organs spill out)**_

_**Everyone: (disgosted)**_

_**Lina: (covering her mouth so she won't throw up) That...is so gross...**_

_**Marik: (grins proudly)**_

_**Kitty: (shakes her head sadly) R&R! **__  
_


	12. Chapter 11: Christmas Memories

_**Kitty: This chapter is little bit shorter than usual...**_

_**Lina: (shrugs) I'm sure it'll be okay, Hikari.**_

_**Kitty: I'm sure it will, I just thought I'd warn them. **_

_**Yugi: R&R! **_

* * *

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Christmas Memories**

"Harry!"

The Boy Who Lived turned to see someone running toward him.

"Dare!" Harry said, before rushing into an explanation, "Dare, I swear, it wasn't me, I didn't hurt-"

"I know," Diana stopped him, "I was an idiot not to believe you-"

"Well, I do speak Parseltongue, you had reason to suspect-"

"But you're my friend, and I should've trusted you."

Harry and Diana looked at each other for a moment, and then they both smiled.

"Thanks for believing me," muttered Harry.

Diana ruffled his hair so that it was even messier than usual. "Hey…what are friends for?"

It was then that Atem appeared in his spirit form next to Harry.

"What are you doing with the Millennium Ring, Dare-kun?" the Pharaoh inquired curiously.

Harry looked down to see that Diana was indeed wearing the Millennium Ring.

"Substitute host," Diana said with a frown, "Bakura's not taking this too well…I thought I'd give him some quiet time…"

Atem looked surprised. "Looks like I underestimated the Tomb Robber in the _'feelings'_ department…"

* * *

Christmas was coming. The list to go home seemed to be getting longer and longer and the list to stay was almost non-existent. However, Harry, Diana, the Weasleys, Hermione, Marik and Seto all signed up to stay, for they knew Malfoy would be staying for the holidays too, and would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion. 

When Christmas dawned, Diana, Harry, Ron and Hermione brought down all their gifts to the Great Hall so they could meet with Marik and Seto.

Diana had bought Seto a large picture frame with sapphire Blue Eyes White Dragons encrusted on the side ("Special request, I assume?" grinned Seto), Ron a starter dueling deck ("Maybe you can actually give me a _challenge_," Diana laughed) and Hermione, Marik and Harry a brand new book of jinxes and spells ("Are you hinting something here?" asked Hermione).

It was then that an owl swooped down onto the Gryffindor table.

"It's Kisara!" said Marik.

Kisara had a huge package tied to her leg and a letter in her beak. Diana removed her burden and Seto stroked the owl's feathers to praise it.

"It's from Kara and Kitty!" Diana told the others, opening up the letter and reading it out loud:

_**Konnichiwa all!**_

_**Kara-kun and I got back from the U.S. with no problems. I MET JOSH GROBAN! He is so nice, and he and Kara-kun even did a duet together at the concert…but don't worry, Marik-kun, Josh knows Kara-kun's taken. He even asked how you were doing! Kara-kun was rather flattered he knew so much about her, when she in reality didn't know that much about him!   
I received Ryou's letter when I returned to Domino, and I'm completely and totally freaked. I'm saying this rather calmly, as Kara-kun can tell how much I sulked after I read the letter. Still, I know Yugi will be alright and I do hope it will be soon, as the thought of him being far away and unable to write is almost unbearable. As it's Christmas, I know today should be for happy things, so I shall put aside this topic for the moment, although it no doubt will be brought up again in a little while. Kara-kun enclosed presents for all of you in the red package; I do hope you like them. There's one additional purple-wrapped present in there I'd like you to save for me. I don't mind if you open it, but do take good care of it. The twins and Kara-kun pass on their love to Marik-kun, and Melisanne-kun says to Seto that Mokuba can't wait to hear from him, as he can hardly stand having his brother so far away, as well as Seth-kun. I do hope all of you are alright, and write back soon. **_

_**Happy Christmas!**_

_**Kitty**_

Diana opened up the huge package, and inside were smaller, different-colored packages, each marked for one of them. Marik's was a rather handsome gold watch, with a picture of him, Kara and the twins behind the watch hands.

"As if I need more gold to wear," Marik joked, but he fondly put the watch around his wrist anyway.

Seto's was a new silver laptop, which was enclosed with a note from Melisanne saying that she got permission from Dumbledore to enchant it so it could be used at the magical school, where other Muggle objects wouldn't work.

"Now I can make sure these idiots I call my employees are actually doing their job," Seto said with a smirk.

Diana's and Hermione's were CDs of the U.S. concert, with personalized autographs from Josh Groban on each of them, and Harry's and Ron's were new boaster packs of Duel Monster cards that Kitty said had just arrived at the Kame Game Shop.

As Harry looked through the new Duel Monster cards with wide eyes, Diana unwrapped the only remaining package, the purple one Kitty mentioned, unable to hold back her curiosity.

It was a gold music box, and engraved on the top were the words:

**_Aishiteru eien ni._**

"'_I'll love you for eternity,'_" Marik whispered.

Marik's words took a second to sink in, then Diana hesitantly opened up the music box.

On the inside was a nighttime scene with glittering silver stars and a gold moon, and moving around the box as the tune played were small multi-colored lights like fireworks.

"That song," muttered Seto, "Where have I heard it…?"

"It's by Josh Groban," Hermione realized, "That's _'To Where You Are.'_"

Diana absently muttered the words to herself in her hoarse, quiet singing voice,

"_Who can say for certain…  
Maybe you're still here.  
I feel you all around me,  
Your memory's so clear…_

_Deep in the stillness,  
I can hear you speak…  
You're still an inspiration,  
Can it be_

_That you are my Forever Love?  
That you are watching me from up above?  
Fly me up to where you are beyond the distant stars…  
I wish upon tonight to see you smile…  
If only for a while to know you're there…  
A breath away's not far to where you are…"_

Diana felt her eyes fill up with tears as she remembered something.

"Yugi…said last year he'd stay for Christmas this time around," she whispered, "And yet he's still not here."

There was a short silence, and then Diana closed the music box.

"C'mon…" she said gruffly, tucking it into her schoolbag, "Let's finish up that potion."

* * *

Marik leveled out the Polyjuice Potion into four glasses, as Diana, Harry and Ron entered Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. 

"Did you get the hairs?" asked Hermione.

Diana nodded, holding up the hair she plucked off of Pansy Parkinson's scalp. "I shoved 'em in a broom cloest, hope you don't mind..."

Seto laughed. "Like anyone here would mind seeing Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson shoved in a corner of the broomstick cupboard?"

Marik sighed. "Alright, then... the potion's all ready. Now all we need are the hairs."

Hermione went first, dropping Millicent Bulstrode's hair that she'd gotten off her robes into her glass. The potion frothed and bubbled, before turning a bright yellow.

"Yuck," commented Ron, "Essense of Millicent Bulstrode."

Diana put hers next; her potion also bubbled and foamed before turning a purplish-brown. Harry and Ron then added theirs, and theirs turned to a murky brown and a disgusting khaky shade.

"I think you guys should take off your Millennium Items," said Marik to Harry and Diana, "As long as they're not in your mind when you drink the potion, you guys should be alright."

Feeling slightly guilty of leaving the Yamis alone again, but thinking about helping their respective Hikaris, Harry and Diana took off the Millennium Items and handed them to Seto.

The four Gryffindors headed into seperate stalls.

"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho," Diana sighed, before gulping down the potion.

* * *

_**Kitty: I'll just stop it there. **_

_**Yugi: That music box...explain.  
**_

_**Kitty: (sighs) That gift was a salut to Claire's 14th birthday fic for me, fireworks and all.**_

_**Lina: (pouts) Reviews, Kara?**_

_**Kara: 4, and the first is from ANAYAS-CREATOR.**_

_**Kitty: (cries after she reads it)**_

_**Yugi: Meh, Kitty does typos every-so-often...and Creevey gives us the creeps too...  
**_

_**Kitty: And I can't promise any of the chars are safe...again, IT'S THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT! **_

_**Lina: Next is Rainbow Guardian Angel. **_

_**Kitty: The plot bunny's evil, I know... (cries)**_

_**Diana: (glares) SORRY! It's not my fault I'm suspicious at first! I knew he couldn't have done it later when I really thought about it. Besides, I'm the Heir of Artemis, and I'm a Gryffindor.**_

_**Kitty: (smiles awkwardly at Mizumi and Slypher)**_

_**Kara: And now...Claire.**_

_**Kitty: I was looking forward to your review! (glomps you) And thanks for reading Tenshi of Games!**_

_**Yugi: I hate Abigail. She should die.**_

_**Kitty: (nods solemnly) Definitely. There is a special area of Hell waiting for jealous whores like her.**_

_**Hermione: YES!**_

_**Kitty: (grins) That will be fun to write, I assure you. (glomps the adorable Simba) He kind of reminds me of my old Paddington bear...I chewed off his ears when I was little, but I still loved him.**_

_**Everyone: (SWEATDROP)**_

_**Atem: Just goes to show you...love really CAN be panful and beautiful at the same time.**_

_**Kara: And last...ZeldaAlly!**_

_**Kitty: And according to her list... (shoves the BB gun into her Yami's hands) It's Lina's turn to shoot Jake!  
**_

_**Lina: (grins evilly) I'm going to enjoy this! (shoots all around the tree and then finally hits Jakes twice in the head)**_

_**Jake: (like Chuckie the doll) Wow...that was fun... **_

_**Kitty: AHHH! The reincarnation of Chuckie! (hides behind Yugi) saaaaaaavvve meeeeee...**_

_**Yugi: (glares at Lina) Shoot the little bastard before things get worse.**_

_**Lina: (shoots Jake five more times in the head)**_

_**Ryou: (sighs) And the plot bunny is just plain evil.**_

_**Kitty: (grins) And I like updating a lot...thanks to my new Internship class, I get my homework done at school, so I have more time to update!**_

_**Bakura: R&R! **_


	13. Chapter 12: Into Enemy Territory

**Kitty: Hell... I haven't updated this in like forever...**

**Yugi: Well, both you and your mum has been feeling a little under the weather.**

**Kitty: At least it's Spring Break now! (throws a party) YAY!**

**Noa: (grins) Hooray. And now...the chappie. **

**Kitty: R&R! **

_**

* * *

Chapter Twelve:**_

_**Into Enemy Territory  
**_

Diana's stomach jerked in pain, she felt her senses gone crazy as she felt her upper body grow, her shoes become too big for her feet and her long fingers become shorter and become accompanied by long, salon-cut fingernails.

Diana gasped for breath and shook her head a little to try and clear her head.

"Guys?" Marik called, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," the slow voice of Goyle came from her left.

"Same here," came the grunt of Crabbe on her right.

"Ditto…I think," Diana replied, her voice slightly higher and thinner than usual.

Diana pulled on Pansy's smaller shoes and robes quickly, before unlocking the door to look at Marik and Seto.

At first, the two were speechless.

"Well," Marik said at last, "It worked…"

Diana looked at herself in the mirror, to find Pansy looking back at her. Her long red hair was now a slightly shorter blond, her pale complexion was now lightly flushed, her sky-blue eyes were now a dull green and her body was a lot more developed.

"Oh, bloody hell," Diana muttered in her higher voice, hugging Pansy's smaller robe tighter around him to hide her body.

Another door unlocked, and out came Goyle, and then Crabbe.

"Whoa," muttered "Goyle," his dumb eyes wide, "Is that you, Dare?"

"_Harry_?" Diana squeaked, "Okay…I am officially freaked out here."

"Me too," said Ron, "I hope I don't end up keeping Crabbe's nose or something…" 

"I doubt it," muttered Marik, "I made absolutely sure everything was right."

"Mione?" Diana called, "C'mon already, hurry up in there!"

An oddly high-pitched voice answered them.

"I…I don't think I'm coming after all! You guys go without me!"

Diana and Harry exchanged a puzzled look.

"Are you okay, Mione?" asked Harry.

"I'm fine!" Hermione replied, "Go on without me! You're wasting time!"

"Sadly, she's right," Marik told them as he looked at his watch, "You only have an hour as it is, and you've already wasted about five minutes. We need to get into the Slytherin common room ASAP."

"Go on and interrogate Malfoy," said Seto, "I'll look after Mione while you guys are gone."

Diana nodded. "Okay, Seto. See you in an hour!"

* * *

"Dare-kun, don't hold your robes so tightly around you," Marik whispered out of the corner of his mouth. 

"What?"

"Pansy likes showing off her curves," Marik explained.

Diana blushed furiously. "Do I _have_ to?"

"If you want Malfoy to think you're Pansy," Marik muttered back.

Diana sighed. "Fine…"

She let the robes fall, feel more and more embarrassed by the second.

Finally they approached a mucky brick wall.

Marik stepped in front of them and said, "Pureblood!"

This obviously was the password, as the wall opened in response, to reveal the Slytherin common room.

It wasn't at all like the Gryffindor common room. It wasn't warm, but rather dark and gloomy-looking. The walls were all gray stone, and seemed almost slippery like an amphibian would be. The fire in the corner barely warmed the room in the least, and the common room was mostly abandoned except for Malfoy, who was lounging on the couch as if it were one at his mansion.

"_There_ you are," the Slytherin snapped as he saw Harry and Ron, "Have you been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time?"

"They were," Diana acted quickly, forcing her face into one of disgust, "I practically had to _drag_ them out of there…"

Malfoy smirked as Diana sat down next to him on the couch, laying back to act relaxed.

"Didn't think you cared, Pansy," Malfoy snorted.

"Well, likely if a teacher besides Snape caught them, Slytherin would lose points," Diana replied in an arrogant-sounding tone, "Besides, it's not like they're actually smart enough to find the common room by themselves."

Harry and Ron were able to laugh at that, as even Crabbe and Goyle's laughs seemed troll-like and stupid.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. "Yeah, I suppose…hey, guess what I just got from my dad?"

"What?" Diana asked in real curiosity. Maybe it was something about the Chamber of Secrets!

Malfoy took a newspaper article out of his robes and handed it to her. Diana read the following:

* * *

_**INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC**_

**_Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car. _**

**_ Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr. Weasley's resignation. _**

**_ "Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately." _**

**_Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them.

* * *

_**

"_Well_?" Malfoy said impatiently when Diana hadn't responded. 

Diana let out a fake high-pitched laugh, before passing it onto Harry, who read it quickly before passing it to Ron.

"Should've _known_ your father would be the first to bring it up," Diana said, trying to sound amused when she was really burning with fury.

"Of course," Malfoy smirked, "It's about time someone said something about those Weasleys. They're an embarrassment to the wizarding world…all of them."

Diana clenched her fist, and she was lucky Harry was giving Ron the sharp look he was, or likely he'd have jumped on Malfoy and began fighting him.

"Speaking of proper wizard blood," Diana tried to divert the conversation, "I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't done a report on all these attacks yet…"

"Dumbledore's probably trying to hush it all up," Malfoy snorted, "My father always said that Dumbledore was the worst thing that's ever happened to this place."

Diana felt herself go white with fury, but she tried not to look disturbed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry grit his teeth.

"Hell," Diana sighed, "The only thing _worse_ than Dumbledore around here is Potter and his stupid…_Mudblood_ friends."

She flinched as she said the word, but luckily, Malfoy didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah," Malfoy replied, "St. Potter…honestly, I've never seen such a goody-two-shoes in my entire life!"

"And people think _he's_ the Heir of Slytherin!" Harry added with one of Goyle's stupid-sounding laughs.

Diana's ears pricked up. Harry had done it. Any minute, Malfoy would confess to being the Heir of Slytherin…

"I wish I knew who it _is_," Malfoy muttered, "I could _help_ them."

Ron's mouth dropped open, making Crabbe look even stupider than ever, but Malfoy didn't notice.

"But…y-you must have _some _idea who's behind it all," Harry said quickly.

"You know I don't, Goyle," snapped Malfoy, "I told you yesterday; all I know is what my father told me. He knows all about it, but he says people would get suspicious if I knew too much about it. All I know is that last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood girl _died_…so it's only a matter of time until one's killed this time…as for _me_…I hope it's Granger."

Diana practically had to stand on top of Ron's foot to stop him from getting up and tackling Malfoy for that comment. She shot a dangerous look at Ron, and when she did, she noticed his hair was turning slightly red.

"_Hair…"_ she mouthed.

Ron's eyes widened, and he mouthed, _"Eyes…"_

They both looked at Harry, and his scar was appearing back on his forehead. Their precious hour was up, and they were turning back into themselves.

"Gotta to go to the Hospital Wing," Ron grunted, and Harry and Diana ran after him as fast as they could.

Diana felt her feet growing and become too big for Pansy's Barbie shoes; she felt her hair lengthen and saw her skin become paler and paler; her fingers grew longer and the well-trimmed fingernails became straggly and rough again.

The three Gryffindors came into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, their breaths coming in gasps.

"_There_ you are!" said Seto, "I was hoping you wouldn't turn back in the middle of the common room or something…"

"Has Mione come out yet?" asked Harry.

"Nope," Seto frowned, "I tried talking to her, but she hasn't said a word. I convinced Moaning Myrtle to go in and check on her just a minute ago."

"Mione?" Diana called, banging on Hermione's stall door, "C'mon out, we got loads to tell you!"

"Go away!" Hermione replied through the door.

Moaning Myrtle came drifting through the door, and looked like you would at your birthday party.

"Wait 'til you see," Myrtle laughed, "It's _dreadful_…"

Diana cautiously pushed open the door. "Mione? Are…are you okay?"

Hermione had her robes over her head and she looked at the ground as she came out.

"What, do you still have Millicent's nose or something?" asked Ron.

Hermione let her robes fall. Ron backed up into the sink.

Her whole face was covered in black fur, a new pink cat nose was partnered with whiskers, and sticking out of her bushy brown hair were two black cat ears.

"It was a c-cat hair!" she wailed, "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion wasn't made for _animal_ transformations!"

"Uh, oh," Ron said.

Diana put her arm around her friend's shoulder. "C'mon, Mione…Madame Pomfrey usually doesn't ask too many questions…let's get you up to the Hospital Wing."

It took quite a while to convince Hermione to leave the bathroom, but she finally came out, with Diana holding her furry hand and Moaning Myrtle laughing her head off.

"Wait 'til everyone finds out you've got a _tail_!"

* * *

**Kitty: Aw, poor Mione-kun.**

**Yugi: But I like cats, particularly my Kitten. (glomps Kitty)**

**Kitty: (pecks Yugi's cheek) Reviews, Lina?**

**Lina: Lemme see... 10! Jesus, people missed you.**

**Kitty: Guess I better answer their reviews then, huh? **

**Kara: First is from Rainbow Guardian Angel.**

**Kitty: (blushes) Thank Claire for the music box... it was all inspired by her genius. (grins) **

**Diana: Meh, I forgive you. (gives you a hug)**

**Kitty: Hershey...the god of all chocolate and all candy! And there will more details with Bakura's feelings later in the fic.**

**Lina: Next is Rayne Saijeuz.**

**Kitty: S'okay. At least I see you around on BTV and MSWW. (peace sign)**

**Yugi: (nibbles on his cookie) Thanks! And update your fic soon!**

**Kara: Next is Claire. **

**Kitty: You bet I'll cry when I get Yugi back. (glomps Yugi) I'M NEVER LEAVING YOU ALONE EVER, EVER AGAIN!**

**Yugi: She still hasn't forgiven the plot bunny for that, and she probably never will.**

**Kitty: (smiles) And you're welcome! Of course I'd like it; you're so kind to my bishie and me. (glomps you)**

**Diana: And...our old friend a-A-a.**

**Kitty: Nice to see you again! And thanks for your support!**

**Yugi: Yeah, poor me, poor me... **

**Lina: And now Kyte!**

**Kitty: (stops you from running around in circles) Alright, take a deep breath in...and out... It's okay! Tons of people only review once and then stop! (glomps you) Don't feel bad.**

**Harry: I did not enjoy being Goyle...and Dare, Ron and I didn't ever get to have Malfoy expelled!**

**Kitty: Hey, at least he'll be there for our continuous torture!**

**Diana: (grins evilly)**

**Kara: Onward to...ANAYAS-CREATOR.**

**Kitty: I agree. (holds up a sign with Bush's head being crossed out) DIIIIIIEEE! **

**Bush: EEP! (hides under Kitty's bed) **

**Kitty: And tests are crappy, I hate tests. But on the ERB writing assessment I just took for English, I was judged to have college level writing! I did better than 97 percent of the rest of the public school students in Montgomery County! (does a little dance) I must say, it makes me feel very smart!**

**Lina: Next is ZeldaAlly. **

**Kitty: Sorry about the kids. But I like Finding Nemo! (glomps Yugi) MINE, MINE, MINE! **

**Everyone: (sweatdrop)**

**Atem: (takes his weapon of choice, an AK47) Jake?**

**Jake: (like Chuckie) Yeeeeeeesss? **

**Atem: Time to play the Sit-Still-And-Get-Shot game. (shoots Jake a bazillion times in the crotch)**

**Every Male Yu-Gi-Oh Char: (flinches)**

**Diana: Yeesh...next review: Silver and Set!**

**Kitty: YAY, YOU REVIEWED! (glomps her forum brother and his evil twin) And this does not mean I like you, Set! **

**Yugi: It doesn't, 'cause she's mine. (glares)**

**Lina: And finally, Rianna Moonsword's two reviews.**

**Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT! (breaks down sobbing)**

**Yugi: (tries to comfort his poor girlfriend)**

**Harry: Can't say I ever pictured it either...then again, I barely knew what a soulroom was before then...**

**Kitty: I'll try and update again soon as it's Spring Break... (grins) Vacation is good for the soul, you know.**

**Yugi: (smirks) And for our daily snogs.**

**Kitty: I love you. **

**Lina: (sweatdrop) R&R **


	14. Chapter 13: An Ill Fated Holiday

**Lina: Hey, all! (sweatdrop) Been a long time, eh?**

**Yugi: (nods) Most definitely.**

**Noa: Kitty's been really busy with the upcoming show at her school even if she's only in the singing Chorus, so I suppose that's an okay excuse. **

**Kitty: Not for **_me_**! (sigh) R&R!  
**

_**

* * *

**_

**_Chapter Thirteen:_**

**_An Ill Favored Holiday_**

Hermione remained in the Hospital Wing for the next few days. Most of the students thought she'd been attacked, and were trying to get a glimpse of her through the Hospital Wing window, but Madame Pomfrey kept the curtains shut so she could save Hermione the humiliation of being seen with a furry face.

Diana had now been made Hermione's official homework flunky, as she had to pass on every single assignment or unit learned for the day to Hermione so she could keep up. Luckily, Seto helped her with History of Magic so Diana wouldn't have to tape her eyes open to stay awake.

_-Honestly,-_ Bakura said one day in a better-sounding mood that he had in days, _-Even Ryou would've gladly given up one or two days of work...Mione's completely mad.-_

About a week after the Polyjuice incident, when the students were still getting used to adding the new year on top of their assignments, Diana was walking down to the Hospital Wing with Marik to give Hermione her assignments. When the two walked in, they found Harry, Ron and Seto already there with Hermione.

"What's going on?" Diana asked, "Why aren't all of you in class?"

"Ron and I found something," replied Harry as he held up a little black book.

Diana blinked. "Okay…is it a late Christmas present for Kitty or something? She likes writing best out of all of us, Harry."

Ron shook his head. "We found it in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"The name on the back was _'T.M. Riddle,'_ and that was the name of a Hogwarts student who won a Special Award to the school fifty years ago," Seto explained, "Ron saw it in the trophy room, and said there was no description of what Riddle did to get the award."

Diana's eyes widened in excitement. "I see…so you're saying T. M. Riddle might have gotten the award for catching the Heir of Slytherin?"

Hermione nodded, her nose still partnered with cat-like whiskers. "There's only one problem…there's nothing written in it. Even if Riddle _had _caught the Heir of Slytherin, he left us nothing to find him ourselves…"

Marik had not said a word since the conversation began, but right then, he spoke up. "Do you mind if I hold onto it? I might want to examine it for ancient magic."

"Good idea, Marik," Harry nodded as he handed Marik the book.

But Diana couldn't help but notice how pale Marik's face was as his fingers closed around the book's cover…

* * *

Lockhart, according to some of his words to Professor McGonagall, had ideas to lighten up the dark mood of the school, but it was obvious he didn't have a very clear idea of what "lightening up" was for most people. 

Diana came down to the Great Hall on Valentine's Day a little bit later than usual thanks to having Artemis come out the night before, and when she saw the inside of the Hall, she felt like she was going to be ill.

Sickly pink flowers covered the walls and heart shaped confetti fell from the ceiling, forcing the students to wipe confetti out of their food every so often before eating it.

Diana joined Harry, Ron and a completely defurred Hermione at the Gryffindor table as Seto and Marik came over also.

All of Diana's boy friends were as disgusted as she was, but Hermione, like most girls, was overcome with giggles.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Diana said as she shook some confetti out of her hair.

Ron pointed to the professor's table, apparently too disgusted to speak, and when Diana looked, she could see why he was so disgusted.

Lockhart was standing in lurid pink robes that matched the flowers and grinning his usual white grin as he waved for silence.

The professors around him, like most of the students, looked like they were going to be sick. A vein was popping in McGonagall's cheek, and Snape looked ready to kill.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart exclaimed cheerfully. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all, but the fun doesn't end _here_!"

_-If that Lockhart nimrod calls this surprise fun,-_ Atem thought in Harry's direction, disgust apparent, _-Then it's all downhill from here.-_

Harry nodded inwardly. _/I've been nervous of what Dudley calls fun before…but I'm more so in this case than I ever was with him./_

Lockhart clapped his hands, and about a dozen dwarfs marched into the Great Hall and lined up in front of the professor's table. They were not just any dwarfs, however; Lockhart had them wearing golden wings and carrying harps.

"My lovely, card-carrying cupids!" he exclaimed. "They will be roving the school today, delivering everyone's Valentines! And I'm _sure_ my fellow teachers will want to get into the festivities as well…"

"Dwarfs aren't the friendliest of creatures, mind you," Diana muttered without listening to the rest of Lockhart's stupid speech, "But anything that has to dress up like _that_ I can't help but feel sorry for."

"Amen," Seto and Harry said together.

Ron, not paying attention to Diana or the others, turned to Hermione. "Mione, _please_ tell me you weren't one of the forty-six."

But Hermione suddenly started searching her bag for her schedule and did not reply.

Diana scowled as she and her friends left the Great Hall.

"_Really_," she said, "I don't know how I can go through the whole rest of the day without _throwing up_…"

"Diana Randall!"

Diana turned to see one of the golden-winged and harp-carrying dwarfs.

"I've got a musical Valentine to deliver to Diana Randall in person," the dwarf said, plucking his harp threateningly.

Diana went white.

"C-can't you just give me the Valentine and _not_ sing?" she asked.

"No," the dwarf said stubbornly.

"Then send it _back_," Diana said, before trying to run.

But the dwarf grabbed her ankle, causing her to trip and fall onto the floor. Diana quickly scrambled to her feet, but the dwarf seized her bag and held her back.

"Get _off_!" Diana yelled, trying to get her bag of the dwarf's grip, but with no cigar.

"Hey! What's the hold-up?"

It was Malfoy.

"What's going on?"

And Percy.

Diana doubled her escape attempts from the dwarf, trying to get away from the crowd before they heard her singing valentine.

Marik suddenly ran out and tried to get the dwarf away. The two of them fought trying to pull the bag out of the dwarf's hands, until Diana's bag ripped in half and two of her ink bottles crashed onto the ground, showering Marik, Diana, their clothes and their stuff in black ink.

Finally, the dwarf whammed the harp into Marik's wrist to get him away and stood on top of Diana's feet painfully pressing them down on the floor.

"Here's your singing Valentine," the dwarf said,

"_**You walk past me, yes you do,  
I wish you could see me as I do,  
You're so sweet, c'est magnifique,  
The way I feel about you.**_

_**You're so right, I'm so wrong,  
But does that mean I'm wrong  
For loving you as I do,  
To send you this song?**_

_**And still I ask, can I change the past,  
To make you see me a little differently?  
But no, you see, I'm still me,  
And we're too wrong for this song…"**_

Some of the boys were laughing.

Some of the girls were sighing and saying, "How romantic!"

Diana, on the other hand, threw the dwarf off of her ankle, shoved the survivor of her ink-stained supplies back into her bag and ran to the nearest bathroom.

She put her bag on the sink, before going into one of the stalls and shutting the door behind her.

Diana came out a little while later, looking as ill as she had back at the Burrow, as she repeated the lyrics in her head:

**"_And still I ask, can I change the past,  
To make you see me a little differently?  
But no, you see, I'm still me,  
And we're too wrong for this song…"_**

Diana shook her head as she left the bathroom.

_/Why did someone have to send me that stupid song anyway? I was doing just fine until…/_

_-Dare-chan? -_

Diana suddenly found herself in her soul room, and on the newly-appeared bed next to her was Bakura.

_/Hey, Bakura/_ she thought.

_-You've been making yourself sick, haven't you? -_Bakura whispered as he brought up his hand to touch her face.

Though it seemed like he was asking a question, it seemed to Diana like he already knew the answer.

_-You'll be bulimic before you know it, Dare-chan,-_ Bakura said, _-You shouldn't do this to yourself…-_

/_What's it to you, anyway/ _Diana snapped.

_-You're my current host and Hikari,-_ Bakura replied, _-Why wouldn't I care?-_

_/Ryou's your Hikari, Bakura, not me/_ the redhead growled, _/And you rarely care about anything or anyone…/_

_-You're my friend-_ Bakura's voice remained patient, _-Dare-chan…just illuminate this for me: why are you doing this to yourself? -_

_/It's not for my weight, if that's what you're thinking/_ Diana muttered, _/I'm doing it…for stress, you could say…I've been doing it for a while, but no one's ever seen me./_

_-You have no reason to be stressed,-_ Bakura reproached.

_/Yes, I do./_

_-Someone's in love with you, what's so wrong with that? -_

_/Do you know what happened to my mum because of love/_ Diana snapped, _/No you don't! My dad left her to die/_

Diana felt Bakura's shock. _-What…? -_

_/My dad let Voldemort kill her, after telling her he loved her! After making her pregnant with me! After asking her to marry him! Do you think I want to die that way too, and leave my descendants to live the way I am now/_

_-Of course I don't!-_ Bakura was about to apologize, but Diana cut him off.

_/You don't know what it's like to have someone control you every month to drink blood and hurt you! Hell, you were the one who hurt Ryou, not vice-versa! You don't know what it's like when this thing takes control of you and kills someone, only to get blamed yourself! YOU KNOW NOTHING/_

Diana finally took a break from her mental yelling. She looked down at the soul-room floor, and tried not to blink so she wouldn't cry.

Bakura looked at Diana for a minute, before scooting over to her and putting his arms around her.

Diana breathed harshly as Bakura held her, but couldn't help but feel calmer.

_-No, I don't know how you feel,-_ Bakura whispered into her ear, _-And no, I don't know how your mother would've felt when she was betrayed. But I can tell you something…-_

Diana felt her chin being brought up to look into Bakura's dark brown eyes.

_-…I don't want you to be in pain, my little Aibou. You may not be Ryou, my other half, but you're part of me all the same, and I will always be there for you.-_

Diana looked at Bakura for a minute without saying a word…and for one of the first times in her life, she felt like she didn't need to.

Whether or not Diana even felt Bakura move closer and kiss her cheek, she actually could bury her face into his shoulder and, after a lifetime of pain and sadness, was able to cry.

* * *

**Kitty: (eyes shining with tears)**_Awwwww..._

**Yugi: (mirroring Kitty's expression) Real sweet, Bakura-san.**

**Lina: (grumbling to herself)**

**Kitty: (sigh) Reviews?**

**Kara: (checks the review box) First is from Claire!**

**Kitty: Like I told you in my email, I could never be sick of you. (smiles) And long reviews from friends are ALWAYS nice.**

**Yugi: Much Malfoy and Lochart bashing will be in the Bash-a-Thon, fortunately. Hee hee...what fun I shall have...**

**Kitty: The reviewers will be the ones deciding how to torture him, Yugi-chan.**

**Yugi: I'll just have to take their ideas and "modify" them a bit for my own tastes. (smirks evilly)**

**Atem: (sweatdrop) Hikari, you can be quite scary when you talk like that.**

**Diana: Next is Rayne Saijeuz.**

**Lina: AUTHORING CLOSET! I luv it! **

**Kitty: (sticks her tongue out too) Shows what you know! Cats are just as good as wolves! Then again, I love any animal that is furry and small enough to glomp. (grins)**

**Kara: And...Kyte!**

**Kitty: Spring Break is the bomb. I was tempted to do something with Dare hurting Malfoy, but hey, it might've blown their cover. (frowns) I actually don't like Tom Felton as much in the third movie; I've always liked him best in the first.**

**Yugi: (glares) I like him never.  
**

**Kitty: We know, Yugi-chan, we know...you don't like any guy you find a threat.**

**Yugi: (glomps Kitty possessively and growls like a dog)**

**Everyone Else: (sweatdrop) **

**Lina: Onward to aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl.**

**Kitty: Well, I didn't exactly update this time around much quicker... (sweatdrop) Sorry.**

**Diana: Yeah, poor me, poor me...**

**Kara: Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Dare...next is your near-twin, Engie!**

**Diana: (waves) Hi!**

**Kitty: Like I said, don't worry about it! Tons of people only review once and then leave. And I could never get mad at a friend. (hugs her friend)**

**Yugi: Meh, I liked ToG too...even if I had to kiss both my Yami and my best friend...**

**Kitty: (glares) Thanks for giving it away!**

**Yugi: (smirks) I didn't say in which circumstances I kissed them, did I?**

**Kitty: (huffs)**

**Lina: Now presenting...ANAYAS-CREATOR.**

**Kitty: (small voice) **_I'm sorry..._

**Noa: She really is. She rarely gets this small with reviewers.**

**Diana: (grins) And you know we're always excited to read any new updates on the Demon Witch.**

**Kara: The next review is from ZeldaAlly.**

**Kitty: Getting up early sucks ass. Particularly to an alarm. BAMP BAMP BAMP BAMP... (sigh)**

**Noa: (cleaning his ears out) It does get annoying after a while...**

**Kitty: (smiles) I usually like kids too...too bad my neighbors moved away, they had the CUTEST little kids...and I'd sometimes look after them while their mom went out shopping or something...**

**Lina: And...dark sorceress of Egypt.**

**Atem: I totally agree with you on the plot bunny. And thank you; it's my prime weapon of choice, and when I find the plot bunny, he will get it. (winks)**

**Ryou: (his hair ruffled and cheek slightly pink) Eep. **

**Noa: We all miss Ryou and Yugi not being in the fic... **

**Kitty: But the worst is yet to come... (wails) **

**Yugi: (gives Kitty a hug to make her feel better)**

**Kara: Next review is from Rainbow Guardian Angel!**

**Atem: Sand! Sun! Man, I miss that. (pouts)**

**Kitty: You know my mom doesn't have the money for a trip to Florida, Atem, no matter how much I agree with you and want to glomp Mickey Mouse again. (ahem) I had a sunburn once. In Fort Lauderdale. And it was as painful as yours, Mizumi. I couldn't put on a shirt for two days.**

**Hermione: (hugs Rainbow back)**

**Lina: And finally...Silver and Set.**

**Kitty: Thanks, you two, I do get the point. (grins) Nice to know you like it. **

**Lina: Kitty has a new obsession.**

**Kitty: WICKED! I just got the soundtrack and I LUV IT! I wish we could do THAT instead of the Wiz... (grumbles) The Wiz sucks.**

**Yugi: And you're in the Chorus! That's **_so _**not fair.**

**Noa: (nods) R&R! ****  
**


	15. Chapter 14: Riddles and Writing

**Kitty: I thought of writing one more chapter before this weekend is over...after all, after not writing for so long, two chapters so close together should help me feel less guilty.**

**Yugi: (hugs Kitty) That, and you just wanted to write.**

**Kitty: Do I ever _not _want to?**

**Yugi: (thinks) ...no.**

**Kitty: Exactly. (grins) **

**Noa: R&R!**

* * *

_**Chapter Fourteen:**_

_**Riddles and Writing**_  


Marik went straight up to the Slytherin common room instead of going to his next class, as to change clothes and see what he could save out of all the ink-stained stuff in his bag.

'_I'm going to kill both the dwarf and Lockhart for this,'_ the Tomb Keeper thought to himself.

He sighed as he took off his shirt, before rummaging through his set of drawers for a new one.

After changing into a new set of clothes, Marik dumped everything in his bag onto the floor for a damage report.

'_Damn,'_ he thought, looking from each of his ruined schoolbooks from the next, _'Guess I'll be sharing with Seto-kun and Dare-kun for the next few days.'_

It was as Marik was examining the damage of his books that he found one book completely dry of any ink. 

'_T. M. Riddle's diary?'_ he asked himself.

He looked from his ruined _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_, and again at the diary.

'Hmm…' 

He flipped through the diary to look at all of the pages, but there wasn't a single drop on any of the pages.

'_That's odd…'_

Getting curious, Marik took a spare quill off his bedside table, and dipped it into some of the ink on his schoolbooks. Then he opened the diary to the first page and dropped a huge blot toward the top of it.

He blinked, waiting…

And then his eyes widened.

_The ink stain was gone!_

Feeling excitement course through him and questions dart through his mind, Marik wrote a single sentence on the page:

**My name is Marik Ishtar.**

And again, the sentence was sucked into the page. Then, to Marik's shock, a sentence appeared in his place, using his ink but written by a different hand.

**Hello, Marik Ishtar. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you find my diary?**

Marik at first didn't know how to respond to this: or, indeed, to respond or not. Then, after a minute of inner questioning, he wrote back,

**Someone tried to flush it down a toilet.**

He waited as the sentence vanished, and another sentence took its place.

**Good thing I kept my memories documented in a safer way than writing. There are definitely things some of the teachers wouldn't want students to know about that I do.**

**What do you mean? Do you mean things about the Chamber of Secrets?** Marik wrote back quickly, his heart thumping in his chest like a huge African Congo drum.

There was a pause. Then Riddle wrote back,

**Of course I do. Why? Has the Heir of Slytherin struck again?**

Marik was surprised. **Yes! How did you know?**

**I always knew he would,** Riddle replied, **He wasn't imprisoned last time, and the monster wasn't destroyed. It was only a matter of time until he came back.**

Marik felt some sweat trickle down his forehead.

'_If Riddle knows as much as he's hinting about the Chamber of Secrets,' _he thought to himself, _'I could help Ryou-kun and Yugi-kun…and the whole school, for that matter…'_

**Who's the Heir of Slytherin?**

There was another pause. Then Riddle wrote,

**I can't tell you that. After I caught him, the school gave me a big shiny trophy and warned me to keep my mouth shut, so technically I can't tell…**

Marik's heart sank. _'Looks like I can't help after all…'_

What Marik hadn't realized yet was that Riddle hadn't finished writing, and then, a couple spaces down the page, another sentence wrote itself out,

**But I could always show you.**

Marik's eyes widened, as the book's pages started flipping rapidly, to a page marked June 13th; there was a huge gust of wind coming from nowhere, and as quickly as he was there, Marik was gone.

* * *

During the next few classes, Seto thought about writing a letter to Kitty. He reckoned that she and the others would want an update about the attacks, as well as how they were doing.

He bit the top of his quill, thinking, before dipping the quill into a bottle of ink and starting to write.

_**Dear Neko-chan,**_

_**I know we've never been on the best of terms ever since we first met, but as Yugi-kun has been Petrified and is now lying in the Hospital Wing, there isn't really another way for you and the others to get any news from our end. **_

_**Ryou-kun was petrified shortly before your response to his letter came on Christmas, and we all miss him unwaveringly. Harry-kun has been holding onto Yugi-kun's Puzzle and looking after Atem-kun, so you don't need to worry about him, at least. Dare-kun also has taken Ryou-kun's Ring and has been Bakura's substitute host, but I think Bakura's been helping her out just as much as she's been helping him.**_

_**The good news is that we may have found a clue to help us solve the mystery surrounding the Chamber of Secrets. It's an old diary that used to belong to this guy named T. M. Riddle, who went to Hogwarts 50 years ago and therefore might know who opened the Chamber the first time. The only problem with this theory is that the diary seems to be blank, but Marik has been examining it for traces of ancient magic. Hopefully it'll be able to answer some of our questions.**_

_**Again, I know we've never really gotten along before all that well and we probably never will, but I do know you care about Yugi-kun and I know you know I do too, even if we'll always be dueling rivals. I'll keep writing to you for news and updates, and I expect you to do the same, as Japan seems even farther away than usual. Pass on my love to Melisanne and Mokuba-chan.**_

_**Ja Ne,**_

_**Seto**_

At dinner, Seto came over to join Harry, Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. But as the plates filled up with food, two of their number remained missing.

"Where's Dare and Marik?" asked Harry.

"Dare went to the Hospital Wing," said Hermione quickly, "I don't know about Marik."

"But why did Dare-kun go to the Hospital Wing?" Seto raised an eyebrow, "Hasn't Artemis already been dealt with?"

Hermione sighed. "It has nothing to do with Artemis…Dare's been making herself sick."

"_WHAT_?" shouted Harry and a newly appeared Atem at the same time, making a few Gryffindors turn to look at them.

Hermione glared at the supposed eavesdroppers, and they quickly turned to go back to their own conversations.

"Bakura caught her doing it after breakfast this morning," Hermione explained, "He took over Dare's body, which was kind of creepy-looking…"

"What did Dare-kun look like with Bakura in control?" a newly appeared Seth asked curiously.

"Her hair was up in a few places and her eyes were brown," replied Hermione, "Anyway, Bakura told me she's been doing it for a while, whenever she feels like she's _'under pressure'_…Bakura didn't quite know what she meant by that, but I have a suspicion."

"And what is that?" inquired Atem, putting his head on top of Harry's as he floated in thin air.

"I think it has to do with when puberty hits her in various ways," Hermione told them as quietly as she could.

"What, you think this is her version of PMS, Mione?" Ron said in disgust.

"_No_, not _PMS_, Ron," snapped Hermione, "Bakura said that she made herself throw up after receiving that valentine, right? Well, that would mean someone had a crush on her. Why she'd hate _that_ is my question…"

Ron's eyes widened. "Dare's mum…of _course_."

"What about Dare's mother?" Harry asked.

Ron didn't have a chance to answer, however, because right then Marik came over.

"_There_ you are!" Seto smirked, "We've been wondering where you were."

Marik's face was very pale and he sat down abruptly next to Hermione as he whispered, "I know who the Heir of Slytherin is."

* * *

**Kitty: And the suspence increases...**

**Lina: (glares) Does it EVER _decrease_? **

**Kitty: When the story's over.**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Oh, THAT'S helpful.**

**Kitty: (grins) Reviews?**

**Kara: (looks in the review box) Kyte's first.**

**Kitty: At least someone knows how it feels. I've felt this way for four years, ever since 6th grade... (sighs)**

**Yugi: (kisses his girlfriend's cheek) I officially hate Kitty's two directors.**

**Kitty: Don't, Yugi. Only hate Ms. Meyer. (growls) SHE's the one who chose all those untalented preps to perform instead of me.**

**Noa: (grabs Ms. Meyer and throws her into a sea of pirahanas) MWAHAHA**

**Kitty: (glomps her best friend) Thanks, dude. You made me feel a lot better.**

**Diana: (hugs Bakura)**

**Lina: (fuming in the corner) **

**Bakura: (blushing) Heh. You bet she is. Not that_ I_ didn't like it...  
**

**Diana: Next is Claire!**

**Kitty: Don't we all wait eagerly for the bash Lockhart and Malfoy chapter? (grins evilly) One less chapter 'til then!**

**Lina: I hate Mondays.**

**Kitty: Me too.**

**Yugi: Me three.**

**Kitty: Sad to say, the Valentine shall remain secret for quite a while yet.**

**Lina: Dare's also like a half-bulimic. She's not doing it for weight issues, but it doesn't stop it from being unhealthy and disgusting.**

**Kitty: And Yugi and I'd be honored. (smiles) **

**Kara: And...Engie!**

**Kitty: You really are! It is kinda cool. (grins widely) **

**Yugi: And we can always wonder...**

**Diana: (hugs Bakura tighter and grins)**

**Lina: (glares at Diana and Bakura) Onward to aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl.**

**Kitty: (tears form in her eyes) I'm sorry...**

**Bakura: (pulls out of her arms) There's a reason to that neither Kitty nor I won't reveal now! **

**Lina: (growls under her breath) **

**Kitty: It's understandable for you to think that way; but no, it's not Bakura. (shrugs)**

**Kara: Now to Seto's Girl 2004's review.  
**

**Kitty: (goes into the corner and cries)**

**Yugi: As Kitty has said time and again, she can't guarantee that any of the chars are safe. And I will not let you hunt down my Kitten! (glomps Kitty possesively)**

**Kitty: (sniff) I'm glad you like it, though...**

**Lina: Next is Setoglomper. **

**Noa: (sweatdrop) Two fans of my step-brother's in a row? Geez.**

**Seto: (sigh) Just goes to show you that Kitty is the only one who likes to torment me...**

**Kitty: I AM NOT! Joey likes it too, don't ya, Joey?**

**Joey: I'll say yes, as I do and if I said no, Kitty would be ready to kill me.**

**Kitty: No, I couldn't do that to you after the latest episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! FIRST YUGI AND NOW YOU! (begins to cry)**

**Yugi and Joey: (both hug Kitty to make her feel better)**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Let's answer the review, please.**

**Kitty: Right. (sweatdrop) I'll do that. (grins) You'll have to wait for the Bash-a-thon, but certainly! And I'll update again soon.**

**Diana: The next review is from our dear friend Rainbow Guardian Angel.**

**Bakura: (pulls out of Mizumi's arms) What is it with everyone hugging me today?**

**Kitty: They're taking advantage of your sweetness toward Dare; otherwise, they'd run and hide.**

**Lina: (bares her fangs) STAY AWAY FROM MY BAKURA-CHAN! (glomps Bakura)**

**Diana: (glares at Lina) He's my friend, Lina. **

**Lina: (glares back) Tel me, do you want your grave to be made of limestone or marble? **

**Kitty: (sweatdrop) Now who's not answering the reviews? (sigh) I hate pink too. **

**Marik: (goes white) Uh, no, wasn't me! Dare-kun's only a friend, and besides, I'm most definitely taken!**

**Kara: (glomps Marik) Mine. (kisses her boyfriend's cheek)**

**Yugi: (hugs Mizumi back) Same here! **

**Atem: (gets hugged by Mizumi) Never thought a snake could be so pampered... Then again, Kitty pampers her dog Yami plenty. (sweatdrop)**

**Kitty: I luvsies my puppy. (glomps Yami) **

**Diana: And now we reply to ZeldaAlly's review.**

**Kitty: OMG! I'm so sorry! I forgot about Jake!**

**Yugi: (looks at the tree where he was tied up) Hey...where'd he go?**

**Kitty: We neglected his shooting, and now he's escaped! SEARCH FOR HIM! HE'S IN THE ROOM! WHOEVER FINDS HIM FIRST, SHOOT HIM!**

**(they search)**

**Bakura: (sees Jake trying to run out the door) AHA! (shoots him in the legs to stop him from running)**

**Jake: Owchies!**

**Bakura: Take this, bastard. (FIRES!)**

**Jake: (has so many holes in him he looks like Swiss cheese)**

**Kitty: Now that's over...we can speak to dark sorceress of egypt.**

**Diana: (sighs) I hate Valentines...**

**Kitty: I am planning to have Lockhart join the Bash-a-thon, and I can't wait to see your rocket-shooting skills then!**

**Ryou: (blushes) Thanks.**

**Kara: Finally, last but certainly not least is ANAYAS-CREATOR. **

**Kitty: Believe me, it made me sick too. **

**Lina: How long are you going to keep us wondering about of that valentine?**

**Kitty: Hmm...for at least one more fanfiction. **

**Everyone: (glares at Kitty)**

**Kitty: _What_?**

**Bakura: Hey, Dare, ANAYAS actually has some sense!**

**Diana: (sighs) I know, I know...**

**Kitty: Luckily, this is probably gonna be the end of all that. **

**Lina: Kitty went NYC, and the photos just got developed.**

**Kitty: Yeppers! (smiles) I posted some of the best on my Xanga, which you can find in my profile if you're interested.**

**Yugi: Balto rocks.**

**Kitty: YES! I was able to glomp Balto! THE MOST AWESOMENESS DOG IN THE WHOLE WORLD!  
**

**Yami, Kitty's Dog: (whines)**

**Kitty: Besides you, Yami. (kisses the top of her dog's head)**

**Seto: R&R! **


	16. Chapter 15: Grief Consumes Once More

**Yugi: We reached the 101 marker!**

**Lina: Awesome! We didn't even do that in Ready to Run!**

**Atem: Congrats, Kitty! (no reply) Uh...Kitty?**

**Kitty: (sobbing in the corner)**

**Yugi: (runs over to her) Neko-chan...?**

**Kitty: WAHHHHHHH! I FORGOT THIS PART WAS COMING! **

**Lina and Yugi: (exchange looks)**

**Atem: What was coming?**

**Kitty: (points to the computer screen, still crying, but does not reply)  
**

**Yugi: Guess we'll have to read the chapter...**

**Lina: R&R!**

**

* * *

**_**Chapter Fifteen:**_

_**Grief Consumes Once More**_

"It can't be Hagrid," Diana muttered from her bed in the Hospital Wing.

Madame Pomfrey had forced her to stay the night and drink several potions in order to even out the meals she had vomited up, and this morning, Marik, Harry, Ron, Seto and Hermione had come to visit her and tell her about Tom Riddle and the Heir of Slytherin.

"I know, I couldn't believe it at first either," Marik sympathized.

Diana's eyes narrowed. "No, I just don't believe it at all. Hagrid would never do such a thing. Riddle must have made a mistake."

"Dare, they had the whole _school_ involved," Hermione pointed out, "And Hagrid had a monster-like something with him. You have to admit, it does look like he did it."

"How can you _say_ that?" Diana growled, "You complained about me thinking Harry was the Heir of Slytherin, and now you turn around and think Hagrid is? He's our _friend_! He would never kill _anyone_."

"But he does have a fondness for _unusual_ creatures," Atem appeared in his transparent form next to Harry, "It could've been an accident."

"Oh yeah," Diana said sarcastically, "He just so _happened_ to have Slytherin's blood, just so _happened_ to know, just so _happened_ to take the monster out of the Chamber one day and just so _happened_ to kill someone, is that what you're saying?"

"He might've thought it needed fresh air or something," shrugged Ron.

"And Hagrid would risk Dumbledore's trust in order to take it _outside_ again after fifty years?" Diana asked, "Dumbledore's trust means more to him than anything!"

Bakura appeared next to Diana and nodded.

"You do have to admit that there are still some questions Riddle has yet to answer," the Tomb Robber agreed, "For one, would Hagrid-san _really_ attack Yugi and my Hikari? Secondly, how do we know that monster Hagrid-san was keeping _was_ Slytherin's monster? Thirdly, how do we know we can trust this Riddle guy at all?"

"We _can_ trust him!" Marik snapped suddenly, his face a little red.

"And how many monsters could there have possibly been at Hogwarts at that time?" asked Harry, "Not many, I'd wager."

"Either way," Seto said, "We at least know whom most officials suspect of this, whether or not it's true."

* * *

The Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was coming up, and Oliver Wood was pushing Harry to his limit. In fact, if it weren't for Hermione's help and Diana's encouragement, Harry probably would've collapsed each day after practice. 

"Think of it this way, Harry," Diana told her friend one day as she helped him on his Charms essay, "When you win the match, you can wipe that silent smirk off the Heir of Slytherin's face."

The day of the match was sunny and bright: perfect for flying. Unlike the last Hufflepuff match, Snape wasn't refereeing. Like the last Hufflepuff match, neither Harry nor his friends suspected a thing could dampen their spirits for this game.

I really wish I could've warned them that something beyond their imagination would be happening that day, and in the few days that followed.

Diana sat next to Ron in the stands, waving her Gryffindor banner and cheering as the Gryffindor team came into the stadium.

"Hey, Dare-chan," Bakura appeared next to her suddenly, "Have you seen Seto, Marik or Mione-kun?"

"Mione said she'd just figured out something," Diana shrugged, "Whatever that means. Probably wants to look up something on ancient varieties of toadstools or something…and Marik said he wasn't feeling that well; he probably went to bed. I dunno about Seto, though."

"I saw him earlier," Ron shrugged, "He said he needed to write a letter to Kitty…he won't miss the match, he'll be here."

Bakura nodded, but he didn't look completely convinced.

_/You alright, Bakura/_ Diana asked, feeling his concern.

_-Yeah,-_ Bakura muttered, _-I just…feel like something is going to happen…-_

In the stadium, Harry mounted his broom and took off into the air with the rest of the Gryffindor team, before the Hufflepuff team joined them in the air.

_-Harry-kun…-_

_/Yeah, Atem/_

_-I'm not so sure about this…maybe you should say you're sick or something and not play.-_

Harry blinked. _/Why? I've flown plenty of times before./_

_-I just feel like something bad is going to happen…I don't want you to be the target again…you know, like last year…-_

_/I'm sure everything will be fine/_ Harry assured him, before closing the mind-link and flying over Oliver Wood to get into position for the start of the game.

It was then that Professor McGonagall strode into the center of the Quidditch pitch, holding the large purple microphone Lee Jordan usually spoke through.

"This match has been cancelled!" her voice echoed around the stadium.

The crowd booed and hissed as the Gryffindor team landed next the Transfiguration professor, the players surprised and Wood traumatized.

"B-but Professor…_Gryffindor_…_the Cup_…you can't just…!"

McGonagall didn't reply to Wood's stammers; instead she continued, "All students should return to their dormitories and their Heads of House shall explain."

McGonagall then looked at Harry. "Potter…come with me, please."

Harry felt a flood of worry flood him as he followed his Head of House off the field.

_/What did I do/ _he wondered.

_-I don't think you did anything, Harry-kun-_ said Atem, but he didn't sound reassuring. In fact, he sounded even more nervous than Harry was.

Diana and Ron came down from the stands and ran over toward McGonagall and Harry as they were entering the building.

"What's going on?" Diana asked, but on closer inspection, someone could see it wasn't Diana.

Her hair was up in several places, her eyes were a dark, cold brown and there was a strange scar on her left cheek that hadn't been there before.

Bakura had taken control of his host.

But instead of shooing them away, McGonagall looked at Ron and the Bakura-controlled Diana with a strange, sad look.

"Yes…yes, I suppose you two aught to know too…" she sighed, "Follow me."

As the three walked down the halls, Harry looked at Bakura. But Harry's usually green eyes were an intense scarlet, his jet-black bangs were now gold and he'd grown tall enough to look the Tomb Robber in the eye.

"Did you sense something too?" Atem asked in a deeper tone than Harry.

Bakura nodded. "Do you have any idea of what's going on, Pharaoh?"

Atem shook his head. "No…I thought it might be something to do with _Harry-kun's_ safety at first…"

"You had reason to think that," Ron shrugged, "But what about _now_, Atem? Now what do you think is happening?"

Atem frowned. "I…I don't know…now I'm _really_ scared…if it wasn't Harry-kun, who else would I have sensed was in such danger? He's my _host_, for crying out loud!"

"Not many are as important as your temporary host," Bakura nodded, "But you sensed more than me…obviously whatever happened has more to do with you than me…"

"I always have wondered why all these things seem to happen to me," Atem moaned.

_/I've wondered the exact same thing myself/_ Harry thought toward his other side.

The three followed McGonagall through endless hallways until they finally realized they were going into the Hospital Wing.

"Now this might come as a bit of a shock," McGonagall said in a surprisingly quiet tone, "There's been another attack…another _double_ attack."

The three looked around McGonagall at the beds that held the Yamis' hosts, Yugi and Ryou, and then beside them on two identical beds were two other familiar figures.

Hermione and Seto.

The three at first only stood and stared. Then Atem felt his knees hit the floor; his shoulders shook as he began to sob.

"_Seth_…" the Pharaoh whispered as tears flooded down his cheeks, "Of course…who else would I have sensed was in such danger besides my temporary host or Yugi-kun? My cousin."

Diana took Bakura's place, put her arms around Atem's shaking figure and hugged him from behind. "I'm so sorry, Atem…"

Ron sat down next to Hermione's bed, his eyes not leaving her face, and gently touched her hand.

"She's as cold as ice…" he muttered, "It's almost as if she's…she's…"

"Don't talk nonsense, Ron," Diana said sharply to try and convince herself, "Mione's _not_ dead. She'll be just fine, you'll see."

It was then that Marik raced into the Hospital Wing; he stopped abruptly and his eyes widened in horror when he saw Hermione and Seto.

"_No_…" the Tomb Keeper whispered, "So it's true…Malfoy said there'd been another attack…"

Harry took Atem's place and wiped his other side's tears off his face.

"I feel awful…" he said quietly, "Atem hasn't acted this sad since what happened to Yugi…it's almost like I can feel every bit of pain he is."

"Seth is the only bit of family he has here," Diana tightened her grip around Harry, "I know they used to be rivals in Egypt…but I probably know better than anyone what Atem's going through."

Harry would've asked what she meant, but the newly forming tears in Diana's eyes made him think twice. She'd never cried in front of him before.

"This just isn't _fair_!" Diana burst out, "_Why_ Seto and Mione? _Why_? They didn't do _anything_! Why the hell is the Heir of Slytherin hurting _them_?"

"Because they were a threat," Ron whispered in sad realization, "Seto, Yugi and Ryou are the holders of the Millennium Items, and Mione's the smartest girl in this bloody school. They could've intervened to stop this…the Heir of Slytherin didn't want them in the way of his plans."

Marik was almost as white as Diana usually was as his eyes filled with tears. Quickly he shoved them away.

"Maybe…maybe there's still a way to help Seth," he said quietly, "Maybe…I could be his host or something until Seto comes back."

Atem appeared next to Harry so fast that if he were solid, he would've knocked him over.

"You think so?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"It worked for you and Bakura," Diana replied, "Why shouldn't it work for Seth?"

Ron wrenched the Rod out of Seto's hand. "Here, M-"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence and his eyes went blank.

"Ron?" Diana waved a hand in front of his face, "_Ron_! Are you okay?"

"He's fine," smiled Atem, "Let him say hello to his new Yami."

* * *

Ron looked around. 

_/This isn't the Hospital Wing_...

It wasn't; he was now in a room painted a fervent orange, with posters of the Chudley Cannons and pictures of his rather large family and friends on the walls. There was also a small mini-refrigerator (that looked oddly like one Ryou had show him in his house that summer), and when Ron opened it, he saw food in it.

He snuck looks around the room, before snatching a bottle of soda out of the fridge, unscrewing the top and drinking some.

_/Ah, that's better. Now…to find out where on earth I am…/_

Ron then noticed a strange, dark blue door that clashed brightly against the orange walls.

Frowning a little in surprise, Ron seized the doorknob and turned it.

On the other side was a purple-black hallway that both Harry and Diana had seen before, and when a door across the way opened, it revealed someone that Ron and his friends had all been dying to see alright…

_-Ron-kun!-_

_/Welcome back, Seth/_ Ron replied with a grin.

* * *

**(the sound of silence) **

**Yugi: Oh, Ra no...**

**Kitty: (wails)**

**Seto: I'm gone? NO!**

**Seth: (glomps his Hikari and begins to cry) **

**Everyone: (stare)**

**Seto: (blushing furiously) GET OFF, YOU IDIOT!**

**Seth: (lets go) WHY, KITTY?**

**Kitty: IT...WAS...THE...PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT!**

**Yugi: (hugs Kitty even tighter)**

**Hermione: Oh, c'mon, guys, it wasn't her fault...but I know a few Seto fangirls out there will be mad/sad about this.**

**Harry: And that's an understatement.**

**Kitty: (sniff) Reviews?**

**Kara: 11, and first is Engie, a.k.a. egyptionkitty, with her two reviews!**

**Kitty: (smiles sadly) Me love Balto. And me loved Wicked! (glomps both Balto and Elphaba)**

**Elphaba: OW! Kitty, I have to go get the ruby slippers from Dorothy!**

**Kitty: Must you?**

**Elphaba: YES.**

**Kitty: Okay. (lets her go) And what's your excuse, Balto-chan?**

**Balto: AROOOOOOOOO!**

**Kitty: Good point. (lets him go)**

**Yugi: (nods) And yeah, you're right, it was Hagrid supposedly. But Kitty did think about changing it.**

**Kitty: At least you are innocent of any crimes on Kaiba-kun's part. I will kill the plot-bunny, even if I like to torture Kaiba sometimes...**

**Seto: (blink) I will NEVER understand you.**

**Yugi: Can't wait to hear more aobut your fic! **

**Lina: And now, PyroAnimeFan532.**

**Kitty: Pegasus WOULD be good torture, I'll have to save that for the Bash-a-thon...**

**Yugi: Thanks for your concern...I'm sure you'll be passing it onto Seto and Mione now too...**

**Kitty: And thank you so much for your support! **

**Diana: Now presenting...Claire! **

**Kitty: Poor Hagger-kun!**

**Yugi: (sweatdrop) _Hagger-kun?_**

**Kitty: (grins) Me like Grawp. He's funny. (glomps the smaller giant)**

**Grawp: (whacks Kitty over the head with a club)**

**Kitty: (K.O.)**

**Yugi: WHY YOU...! (whacks Grawp over the head with a bigger mallet)**

**Grawp: (K.O.)**

**Yugi: (glomps Kitty) HUMPH! That'll teach 'im.**

**Kitty: I luv you. (kisses his cheek)**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Anyway...Mondays suck ass. Yes, I'm guarding Bakura quite well... (reveals Bakura locked up in a cage with a sign saying **_'No Dianas allowed'_**) And as Kitty said, the Valentine will be left for us to wonder about for a while still... (sighs) I am curious...**

**Kitty: Aren't you all? (grins evilly)**

**Diana: Next is ANAYAS-CREATOR.**

**Kitty: Thanks...but you'll kill me for this chappie, I know. (goes off and mourns in the corner)**

**Bakura: (rubs his head) owwww...I WAS JUST KIDDING!  
**

**Diana and Lina: (glare at each other)**

**Kara: Next on our list is dark sorceress of egypt.**

**Kitty: I actually like Bugs Bunny. **

**Atem: But the plot bunny must die. (clicks a machine gun)**

**Diana: I'm better than I was, anyway...thanks for your concern. (smiles)**

**Bakura: (blushes furiously) Well...Lina sure hopes not.**

**Lina: (growls ferally) And now we turn to aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl. **

**Kitty: (takes the box of tissues) Thanks.**

**Marik: That diary is creepy...**

**Kitty: It's supposed to be. And I thought writing that part down would waste time. I needed to get onto other stuff..sadly, like this stuff. (sniff)  
**

**Bakura: I must admit, me possessing Dare-kun and the Pharaoh possessing Harry was cool.**

**Seto: (blushes) Whatever. **

**Kitty: (glomps Seto and grins) There'll be for with Dare's "problem" later in the series. Don't worry, you will understand...later.**

**Lina: Onward to Kyte's review!**

**Kitty: Yeah, I did: with my Chorus. And the Bash-a-thon is being looked forward to by everyone here...except Malfoy and Lockhart, of course.  
**

**Lina: Are those Valentine guesses close, Kitty?**

**Kitty: (grins) I shall say this: one of your guesses is right. **

**Bakura: (struggles to escape from the hug) Kitty, I shall kill you for making me look like a softie!**

**Kitty: You only are around Dare, Bakura, and it is to stay that way. (looks at Kyte) There's much more to Bakura's char yet to be revealed; I think you will enjoy it. **

**Diana: Technically my mom isn't a clue to who sent the Valentine, but it is a clue to my reaction to it.**

**Kara: And Rainbow Guardian Angel's TWO reviews!**

**Kitty: I never liked it either. **

**Yugi: (smirks evilly) I know how to kill it. (opens the book in front of a showing of "The Littlest Elf") **

**Book: (melts into dust)**

**Kitty: GO YUGI-CHAN! (glomps her bishie) And me wuv animals too: just furry ones! Fun to pet.  
**

**Marik: 'Tis alright. Dare and I are good friends, anyway...**

**Lina: (glomps Bakura possessively and grins) Good that you know that. **

**Joey: (smiles sheepishly and blushes) Aw...thanks.**

**Kitty: You reviewed twice to be 100th reviewer! Thankies! (grins) **

**Atem: I am NOT German!**

**Yugi: Could've fooled me. You're always the one to accompany Kitty's friend Em to the museums about German history.**

**Atem: (blushes) **

**Lina: Onto Zelda-Ally's review!**

**Diana: (grins) Good to know I'm understood. Valentines should die.**

**Kitty: YAY BALTO!**

**Seto: Must I shoot Jake?**

**Kitty: YES. It's our reviewer's request.**

**Seto: I don't wanna. I'm mad at you for making me petrified.**

**Kitty: IT WASN'T MY FAULT, IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT!**

**Yugi: Look, Seto, if you need motivation...just pretend Jake is Gozaburo.**

**Seto: (eyes narrow and he smirks) Thanks. That helped. (shoots another tree down to make it fall on the one Jake is tied to) **

**Kitty: WHOOT! Nice, Seto-kun.**

**Seto: (smirks) Elementary.  
**

**Yugi: Alright...101 marker! **

**Kitty: (tears in eyes) Thank you guy SOOOOOOOO much! I luv you all, even if you Seto fangirls will kill me for this chapter. (grabs a tissue from**** aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl's**** review tissue box and blows her nose)**

**Kara: R&R! **


	17. Chapter 16: Follow the Spiders

**Kitty: Finally...I don't know why, but it took me a while to finish this.**

**Yugi: Well, out of all the HP books, CoS is actually your least favorite.**

**Everyone Else: (stare)**

**Kitty: (shrugs) But I love all the books, so that doesn't make that much of a difference.**

**Atem: R&R!

* * *

**

_**Chapter Sixteen:**_

_**Follow the Spiders **_

Atem was quite relieved to see his cousin was alright: alright enough to be standing before them, anyway. Poor Seth took the loss of his Hikari even worse than either of the other two Yamis. In fact, ever since he had found out about Seto and Hermione being petrified, he rarely spoke with the others and spent most of his time locked up in his soul room.

"Now I know how you guys felt when you got Atem and Bakura as your Yamis," Ron said to Diana and Harry that night in one of the squishy armchairs by the Gryffindor fire, "I've never felt feelings like this, and they're coming from _Seth_ of all people! It's like seeing Snape give out candy for Halloween!"

"Well, when you think about it," Bakura appeared next to Diana, "Seth _is_ the most sensitive out of the Pharaoh, him and me…that, and he's only recently met his Hikari…he's never been in a position of possibly losing him."

Atem appeared next to Harry and nodded. "That's true…both the Thief King and I have had to be apart from our Hikaris before. But Seth…he's never been away from Kaiba-kun ever since the end of the Battle City tournament."

"When did you have to be without your hosts?" asked Diana, "I thought this was the first time."

"The Ring's been taken off Ryou more than once, you know," Bakura smirked, "People thought they could get rid of me…but the Ring comes back before too long…"

Diana laughed. Harry, however, was a little concerned. Atem had never said he'd been apart from Yugi before…Yugi had never been seen without the Millennium Puzzle, so it couldn't have been the same reason as Ryou's…

_/Atem/_ Harry thought, _/When did you have be away from Yugi/_

Atem bowed his head, casting his red eyes into shadow, and Harry felt a strange mixture of misery and guilt through the mind link.

_-I'd rather not talk about it,- _the Pharaoh replied at last.

Ron shook his head. "I just wish there was _something_ we could do to help Seto and the others…"

"There is," Harry said quietly, "We go see Hagrid."

"He's _not_-" Diana started angrily.

"He may or may not be the Heir of Slytherin," Harry interrupted her gently, "But he's our only clue. He went to school fifty years ago and he's a suspect. He may have an answer to a few of our questions."

_-Harry-kun has a point, Dare-chan-_ Bakura thought through the mind link in Diana's direction, _-Maybe we should pay Hagrid-san a visit.-_

Diana sighed. "Fine."

* * *

The three British hosts stepped up to Hagrid's door under the Invisibility Cloak, and, raising his fist from under the cloak, Ron rapped firmly on the door. 

The door opened a few seconds later, and Hagrid came into view, a crossbow pointed unknowingly at Diana's throat.

"_EEP_!" the redhead girl squeaked, "Hagrid, do you _mind_? Put that away before someone gets hurt: like _me_!"

"Dare?" Hagrid looked around at the sound of her voice, "Dare, where are ya?"

"We're under the Invisibility Cloak," explained Harry, "Put down that thing and let us in so we can take it off, we need to talk to you."

Hagrid did so, before moving away from the door to let them in. When he heard their footsteps move past him, he closed the door and put the crossbow down by the door.

"What did you need _that_ for, anyway?" Ron asked.

"Uh…nothin', nothin' at all," Hagrid replied quickly, "I just been expectin'… aw, never mind, it don't matter. Sit down; I'll get the tea."

Their giant friend went over to pour the tea in the tea kettle into cups for them as they sat down; the problem was that he was trembling so much that he was pouring the tea onto the tablecloth without even realizing it.

"I…I presume you heard about Mione and Seto?" asked Diana anxiously.

Hagrid shot a strange look at Diana that she couldn't at the moment say was one more of fear or sadness.

"Oh…aye, I heard," he said quietly, his voice cracking.

Hagrid handed them their almost empty cups of tea, almost dropping and breaking Diana's, and started to cut a large fruitcake into pieces for each of them.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Hagrid dropped the fruitcake.

"G-get that cloak on," he stammered to the three students.

Ron, Harry and Diana nodded, before standing up and throwing the Invisibility Cloak over themselves.

Hagrid went to the door and opened it, to reveal Dumbledore and another man dressed as if he were colorblind and couldn't see what clothes match and what don't, with a pinstripe suit, scarlet tie, a black cloak, pointed purple shoes and a lime-green bowler hat under his arm.

Diana's eyes widened. _/That's Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic/_

_-What's he doing here?-_ Bakura wondered.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid greeted.

"Good evening, Hagrid," the Headmaster replied, before gesturing toward him and then Fudge, "May we…?"

"Oh! O-of course," Hagrid stammered quickly, coming away from the door to let them in. The trio stretched into the far corner of the room next to the fireplace as to not be bumped into by the two adults.

Fudge spoke first.

"Bad business, Hagrid, very bad business… Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-born students, three of which were transferstudents… Things have gone far enough, the Ministry has got to act."

"I _never_!" Hagrid protested, looking imploringly at Dumbledore, "You _know_ I never, Professor!"

"I want it understood, Cornelius," Dumbledore frowned deeply at the Minister, "That Hagrid has my full confidence. Taking him away will not help in the slightest."

"Look at it from my point of view, Albus," Fudge said awkwardly as he fidgeted with his bowler, " I'm under a lot of pressure to do _something_, and Hagrid's record is against him. There's really no other choice, I've got to take him."

"Take me?" Hagrid was trembling from head to toe now, "Take me _where_?"

"For a short stretch only," Fudge couldn't meet Hagrid's eyes, "Not a _punishment_, Hagrid, more a _precaution_…if someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology-"

"Not _Azkaban_?" Hagrid croaked.

_-Azkaban?-_ Bakura repeated, _-What's that?-_

_/The wizard prison/_ Diana explained, sounding both furious and horrified, _/Fudge is going to arrest Hagrid/_

It was then that a loud rap came at the door; Dumbledore answered it, and both Diana and Harry had to hold their Yamis back from coming out and possibly jumping on who entered.

Lucius Malfoy strolled into Hagrid's hut, wearing a long black traveling coat around his shoulders and a cold, satisfied smirk on his pale pointed face that was so like his son's.

"Already here, Fudge," Mr. Malfoy nodded approvingly toward the Minister, "Good, good…"

"What're _you_ doin' here?" Hagrid snarled furiously, "Get outta ma house!"

Mr. Malfoy sneered at Hagrid as his eyes traveled around the cabin. "My good man, please believe me, I have _no_ pleasure at all in being inside your…you call this a _house_?"

Diana looked ready to say something angry in response to that, but Bakura sent a silent warning through the mind-link to remind her to be quiet.

"No…" Mr. Malfoy continued smoothly, "I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here."

"And what exactly do you desire with me, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes serious but not angry in the least.

Mr. Malfoy smirked as he unrolled a large roll of parchment.

"_Terrible_ thing, Dumbledore," he said without sounding any regret at all, "But the school governors have all agreed it's time for you to step aside."

"_Step aside_?" Fudge sputtered, "Now see _here_, Lucius…if _Dumbledore_ can't do it, then who, I may ask, can…?"

"That remains to be seen," Mr. Malfoy replied coolly, "But _this_…is an Order of Suspension: you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid you've rather…lost your touch, Dumbledore."

"You _can't_ take Professor Dumbledore away!" Hagrid shouted, standing up and his eyes widening in horror, "Take him away and the Muggle-borns won't stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"

"I doubt that there will be any…_killin'_…if the culprit is locked up," Mr. Malfoy's smirk widened.

Hagrid looked ready to kill at that remark, but he desisted when Dumbledore gave him a sharp look.

"If the governors desire my removal, Lucius," the Headmaster spoke in a well annunciated whisper, "Then I shall, of course, step aside…"

"B-but…!" Fudge started protesting.

"_No_!" Hagrid growled.

But Dumbledore did not look away from Mr. Malfoy, and continued as if the other two hadn't spoken.

"However…you will find that I have only _truly_ left this school when none here are loyal to me, and that help will always be given here at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Diana may have been imagining things, but she could've sworn that Dumbledore's eyes flickered to the corner where she and her friends were hiding.

"Admirable sentiments," Lucius said coolly, before brushing past Dumbledore and heading out the door.

There was a slight silence in which Dumbledore headed out the door of Hagrid's cabin, and then Fudge spoke.

"Come, Hagrid…we…better get you to the Ministry, it's getting late…"

Hagrid paused, before speaking in a strangely slow tone.

"If, uh…if anyone wanted ta find some _stuff_…then all they'd have ta do would be ta follow the _spiders._ Yep…that'd lead 'em right! That's all I'm sayin'."

Fudge was frankly bewildered at that statement, but Hagrid paid him no mind as he grabbed his crossbow and added carelessly, "Oh, and someone'll have ta look after Fang when I'm away…"

The two adults headed out of the cabin, slamming the door shut behind them, and Diana threw the Invisibility Cloak off of herself and her friends.

"_DAMN LUCIUS MALFOY_!" she cursed.

Bakura appeared next to her and nodded. "He probably blackmailed all those school governors into signing that Suspension Order, and now Dumbledore-san isn't Headmaster! He's the only thing that could've possibly been in the Heir's way..."

"Hagrid-san's right," Ron said in a strangely deeper voice, "Without Dumbledore-sama, there'll an attack a day."

"Ron, why are you…?" Harry asked, but his question dissolved into silence when he looked at his friend.

The youngest Weasley boy's eyes were normally brown, but right now they shone a bright blue rimmed with a silver shine. His red hair was now flecked his black strands around his face, and his usually tall figure was even taller than before, judging by how his pants almost looked like girl Capris.

"_Seth-kun_!" Atem realized, as he appeared next to Harry, "Boy, am I glad to see you, cousin!"

"Whatever," Seth muttered, still sounding bad-tempered, "What really matters is finding out what in the seven hells Hagrid-san was talking about…"

Harry looked around, before noticing the open window…and crawling out the window was a nice number of black spiders.

"'_Follow the spiders,'_" the Boy Who Lived whispered, looking out the window, "They're heading for the Forbidden Forest."

"You're not suggesting we actually _follow_ them, are you?" Ron squeaked as he took control again and Seth appeared in his transparent form beside him, "The Forbidden Forest has its name for a _reason_, you know!"

"Oh, you're just scared of the spiders is all," snapped Seth, making Ron flush.

"Ron-kun, this is important," Atem said seriously, "Think about Yugi-chan, and Ryou and Seto-kun."

"Think about Mione," Diana put a hand on Ron's shoulder, "If we find clues to help us catch the Heir, we can help her and the others. Do it for her, Ron."

Ron looked up at Diana for a moment, before sighing deeply. "Okay."

* * *

**Kitty: Chapter completed.**

**Yugi: (sniff) Dumbledore and Hagrid are both gone now?**

**Lina: (sarcastic) Just great. **

**Kitty: (sigh) Reviews, Kara?**

**Kara: 9, and the first if from Kyte.**

**Kitty: Thanks. (smiles) It sometimes surprises me how much I love my reviewers.**

**Yugi: (shrugs) They're so nice to us. **

**Kitty: (sighs) And we're all pretty sad about Seto-kun being petrified.**

**Atem, Amelda, Noa and Bakura: Not me! **

**Seth: (whacks them all upside the head, a vein popping in his temple)**

**Seto: (blink) Okay...**

**Kitty: (grins evilly) I'll let you ponder with those three for a while. **

**Atem: (blushes) Heh...sorry, she was the first weapon I grabbed... (hands Isis back to Kyte apologetically) I'm in loooooooooooovve... (grins stupidly as little hearts go over his head)**

**Yugi and Kitty: (sweatdrop)**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Next is aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl. **

**Kitty: (sniff) Yeah, poor Kaiba-kun...really? (looks at Seto) In all the stories you get petifried? NO, I'M BECOMING A CLONE!**

**Yugi: I only knew Skyla Doragono's version did the same thing: then again, we have read tons of HP/YGO crossovers.**

**Ron: (shrugs) I just hope Seth cheers up, he's scary when he's moody...**

**Seth: (glares)**

**Kara: And...Claire!**

**Kitty: (snuggles Simba) I love reading your reviews. They always make me feel better. **

**Atem: (smirks) Ooh...I like...and we can go to Florida while we're in the neighborhood! AT LAST, WARM WEATHER! (sigh)**

**Kitty: (rolls her eyes) We are going to Disney World if we ever go to Florida.**

**Yugi: Yes, dear. (kisses Kitty's cheek) My Kitten. Can't wait to bash up Drake! (grins evilly)**

**Atem: I second that. (growls under his breath) No one ruins my Hikari's relationship and gets away with it!**

**Lina: (grins evilly) The list is too long...**

**Bakura: (his hair all disheveled) I tried to escape earlier and a trapdoor opened and locked me in a room in front of a TV playing the Littlest Elf...and then dropped me back in the cage when it was done.**

**Everyone: (flinches)**

**Kitty: The next review is from Engie! (frowns) You are a good writer! And yeah, poor Seto...it is always the hot ones, isn't it?**

**Seto: (raises an eyebrow)**

**Yugi: (grabs Kitty possesively and growls ferally at Seto) MINE!**

**Seto: (shrinking back) YOU CAN HAVE HER!**

**Yugi: (grins) Nice shot on Tea. Whenever I try, she always dodges it like Pegasus's Toon Rabbit...then again, she is as creepy as he is... **

**Lina: Seto's Girl 2004 is next.**

**Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT! **

**Yugi: (hus Kitty tighter) **

**Kitty: (sniff) I will try my very best to update quickly: I want my boyfriend and friends back too, ya know!**

**Kara: Now presenting ANAYAS-CREATOR.**

**Lina: (exchanges a high-five with ANAYA) **

**Kitty: The plot bunny would've made me, but it didn't follow the whole idea of "Heir of Slytherin getting rid of people who are a threat."**

**Yugi: Well, hopefully your update will be sooner rather than later. You know we love reading it.**

**Lina: Onward to Rainbow Guardian Angel.**

**Kitty: (blows her nose at yet another mention of Seto and Hermione being petrified) Seth is pretty cool. And no, Ron's tall, so there wasn't THAT huge of a change in height.**

**Atem: (hugs Mizumi back) The Bash-a-thon is approaching...cheer up. We can burninate 'im together.**

**Kara: Well, my brother's not exactly evil, but he is stubborn. He'll have a reasonably large part in Let Me Fall (Kitty's version of HP & the PoA). **

**Yugi: (sucks on his lollypop) No offense taken, I asure you: she IS evil. And so is Malik. **

**Lina: This next review is from dark sorceress of egypt. **

**Seto: Yes...why me?**

**Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT! I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT!**

**Seto: The rabid fangirl squad will swarm me at this rate... ****(sharpens up a machete for the plot bunny) **

**Eveveryone Else: (back away slooooooooowly)**

**Atem: (grins) Certainly! I would love to help.**

**Kara: And now we close with Zelda Ally.**

**Seto: (glares back) I had no reason to.**

**Yugi: Yeah, poor us...and Kitty always is sad when anything happens to her fav chars. **

**Kitty: (wipes a tear from her eye) According to our list...it's Amelda-chan's turn to shoot Jake! (looks at Kyte) May I borrow Isis? Thanks. (gives Isis to Amelda)**

**Amelda: (looks down at the gun) Kitty...you know I don't like violence after what happened to Mikey...I don't think I can...  
**

**Kitty: (gives Amelda a hug) Oh, it's alright, hun...if you really don't want to...**

**Jake: (starts poking Mikey) POKE! POKE!**

**Mikey: Ow! Stop it!**

**Amelda: (eyes turn into red flames) GET OFF MY LITTLE BROTHER! (shoots Jake in a straight line, making him split in half)**

**Mikey: (runs over and hugs Amelda) You rock, big brother!**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) R&R! **


	18. Chapter 17: A Framed Friend

**Kitty: (typing on her computer) Finally I can update!**

**Yugi: (comes into the room) The server's working again?**

**Kitty: Yep.**

**Lina: At last. It took you long enough to type the chappie... **

**Kitty: Hey, you know action scenes are always difficult for me to write, cut me some slack!**

**Lina: Can't: you're my Hikari. **

**Kitty: I hate you. And your reasoning.**

**Atem: (sweatdrop) R&R!**

**

* * *

_Chapter Seventeen:  
A Framed Friend_**

"Dare, are you sure about this?" Ron squeaked as he and Harry followed Diana into the darker sections of the Forbidden Forest after a line of small black spiders.

"For the millionth time, Ron," Diana growled, "_Yes_, if we want to get Hagrid out of Azkaban, get Dumbledore back as Headmaster and help our friends."

Ron moaned. "But…but…"

_-Honestly, Ron-kun, you are such a wimp,-_ snapped Seth, _-If you're really so scared, then let me take over.-_

The youngest Weasley brother almost did, but then what Diana had said earlier echoed in his memory.

"Do it for her, Ron…"

_/No/_ Ron replied, picturing Hermione in his mind, _/I have to do this myself./_

_-Fine,-_ thought Seth, _-Get yourself killed for all I care.-_

Ron felt a stab at his heart, almost like Seth's words were a knife that had physically hurt him, and he didn't even know why. Maybe it had something to do with the whole "Hikari and Yami" thing he had always heard Atem talking about…

Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"AHHHH-"

Diana's other hand covered his mouth.

"Chill, you idiot!" she snapped, "Honestly, do you want the whole forest to hear you?"

Ron pulled her hand away from his mouth to retort, "Well, don't scare me like that!"

"If you were paying attention to where you going instead of your daydreams, then I wouldn't _have_ to!"

"I wasn't _daydreaming_, I was _thinking_!"

"Whatever! Your _thinking_ still didn't help you see where you were going! Next time, I'll just let you do a George-in-the-Jungle on us and actually _hit_ the tree!"

"Well, maybe you…!" Ron growled, unsure of what to finish with, "Uh…what's a George-in-the-Jungle?"

"Be quiet, both of you!" Harry hissed.

The two redheads turned to look at Harry, and when they did, they heard the reason why he had told them to be quiet.

A low rumbling sound was coming from the bushes, and by the sounds of it, it was coming closer to where the three were standing.

"Oh damn," muttered Diana, "Oh damn, oh damn, oh _damn_ …"

"Shut up, it'll hear you!" Harry whispered.

"It already heard _Ron_!" Diana snapped.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light blinded the three students, forcing them to fling their arms in front of them to shield their eyes.

"What are we still _standing_ here for?" Diana shouted, "Do you guys _want_ to get killed?"

She tried to run, but Harry grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back.

"Harry, what are you doing, let me go-"

Harry didn't answer; he only stared as the source of the sound finally came out of the bushes and into view.

"What the… it's the Ford Anglia!"

"W-_what_?"

Harry was right; Mr. Weasley's flying car had driven straight up to them all by itself, its headlights ablaze and its sides scratched and smeared with mud. "The forest must've turned it wild," Atem appeared in Harry's place and went over to look at the car, "You've had fun, haven't you? Maybe we should get you to a carwash or something…" 

The Ford Anglia honked twice in an almost cranky way, and shook itself a lot like a wet dog, making the mud fly at Atem.

The Tomb Robber was howling with laughter a few seconds later in Diana's place at the sight of the very muddy Pharaoh, and the Ford Anglia honked in a way that almost sounded like Seto snorting derisively.

"Ra," laughed Bakura, "That's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!"

"Shut up, you baka!" Atem growled, "It's _not_ funny!"

"Oh yes it is!" Bakura replied, still laughing his head off, "Geez…the only thing _more_ funny about this is that you were humiliated by a _car_!"

The Ford Anglia, apparently, found that an insult, because a few seconds later, Bakura was covered in mud too.

Ron sweatdropped and Seth appeared in his spirit form next to his host as Atem took a leaf out of Bakura's book and cracked up and the King of Thieves tried to retaliate.

"Thank you," the transparent High Priest smirked down at the flying car, "That was most entertaining. Please know, however, that their _hosts_ will be the ones to suffer later by cleaning it up: one thing that my cousin and the King of Thieves have in common is laziness."

The Ford Anglia honked in an almost understanding way, before heading back into the bushes and out of sight.

Diana and Harry took the Egyptian spirits' places; they didn't seem too fazed by being covered in mud, but probably because their attention was still focused on finding the trail of spiders and continuing to follow them.

"_Damn_," Diana muttered, "We've lost the trail…"

"We better get moving if we're going to find them again," agreed Harry, "C'mon, Ron, we…Ron?"

Ron didn't answer. His eyes were wide with terror, and focused on something right behind Diana and Harry.

The other two didn't even have time to ask him what he was staring at. There was a loud, fierce clicking noise, and the next thing Diana knew, she was upside down and her leg was being held by a set of shiny black pincers belonging to a giant, hairy spider.

"_Acromantula_," Diana whispered.

"Bless you," replied Harry, who was also hanging upside down from the jaws of another large spider.

"_No_," Diana growled in frustration a lot like Hermione would, "It's an Acromantula, a giant spider!"

"Oh, I never would've guessed _that_!" Ron said sarcastically, the blood rushing to his head, "There are _tons_ of creepy animals with six long legs, a hairy body and pincers!"

It was then that the spiders carried the three students into a large clearing in the woods, and when they were brought into a small patch of light, Ron squealed in terror, and Harry and Diana couldn't help but agree.

Spiders were surrounding them from all sides: not the normal, small spiders that they might use in Potions class, but ranging from 2 to 8 feet high, and hanging from huge webs.

The only spider in the group that had captured Diana, Harry and Ron without a human's leg in his pincers stepped forward on its spindly legs and called loudly,

"Aragog! Aragog!"

And out from the middle of the misty webs, very slowly, came the largest spider of them all. There was gray fur on his black body and legs, and each of the eyes staring at the three Gryffindors was a milky white. He was blind.

"What is it?" said the spider called Aragog.

"Humans," clicked the lead spider.

"Is it Hagrid?" asked Aragog, moving slowly closer and his eight blind eyes looking around vaguely.

"Strangers," the lead spider replied.

"Kill them," Aragog clicked fretfully, "I was sleeping…"

"We're friends of Hagrid's!" Diana shouted, finding it difficult while hanging upside down.

The spider holding Diana dropped her squarely on her back. A few seconds later, the other two spiders dropped Ron and Harry. The spiders around them clicked frantically all around the hollow as Diana helped her two friends to their feet.

Aragog paused. Then he said, "Hagrid has never sent _humans_ into our hollow before…"

"Hagrid's in trouble," Diana explained, "People think he's been setting a monster on students up at the school…the…the Ministry of Magic has taken him away…to Azkaban."

Aragog began clicking furiously, as did the other spiders around them.

"That was years ago!" Aragog said, "Years and years ago…I remember it well. They made him leave the school because they thought I was the monster that dwells in the so-called Chamber of Secrets."

"So you're _not_ from the Chamber," Diana said in satisfaction, "Everyone at the school just _assumed_ you were, and therefore thought Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set you free. But if you weren't born in the _Chamber_, where do you come from?"

"I came from a distant land," Aragog replied, "As an egg in the pocket of a traveler. Hagrid was young, but he cared for me, hiding me in a cupboard in the castle and feeding me scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered and blamed for the death of a girl, Hagrid protected me, and then he brought me here. I've lived here ever since, but Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown…"

Ron trembled as his eyes again glanced at all the spiders hanging around them and listening to the conversation.

Diana gripped her friend's hand reassuringly. "Don't panic."

Ron bit his lip, and summoned as much courage as he could to ask meekly, "So…so you've never attacked anyone?"

"Never," croaked Aragog, "It would've been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I've never harmed a human. The girl was found in a bathroom, anyway; I've never seen anything of castle but the cupboard where Hagrid kept me. Our kind like the dark and quiet…"

"But then," said Harry, "Do you know what _did_ attack that girl? Because whatever it is, it's back and our friends were-"

The rest of his statement was drowned out by a loud outbreak of angry clicking and rustling from the Acromantulas.

"The thing inside the castle is an ancient creature which we spiders fear above all else!" Aragog answered fiercely, "We do not speak of it! We do not name it! I've never even told Hagrid the name of that dreaded creature, though he has asked me many times."

The spiders were pressing closer around them from all sides; it seemed to the three Brits that they weren't too inclined to talk with them for much longer.

"Er…th-thanks for your help," Diana stated a little anxiously, "Uh, we'll just…go now…"

"_Go_?" repeated Aragog slowly, "I think _not_. My sons and daughters don't attack _Hagrid_ on my command…but I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so _willingly_ into our hollow… Goodbye, friends of Hagrid."

"Can I panic _now_, Dare?" Ron squeaked as he, Diana and Harry huddled together and the spiders made an almost wall around them.

The Yamis immediately took their hosts' places, right before the spiders lunged at them.

Light shone from the Millennium Puzzle, blinding the spiders.

"_RUN_!" shouted Atem, and neither the Tomb Robber nor the High Priest was willing to disagree.

After the spiders recovered from the shine of bright light, they sped after the three Egyptian spirits.

"We're going the wrong way!" yelled Bakura, "My Ring says we're running deeper into the Forest! We have to go back the other way!"

"We'd be going through the spiders!" Atem yelled back, "We don't have a way around them!"

"Not _around_ them…_over_ them!" Seth suddenly smirked, "Look!"

A familiar low rumbling came from the bushes, and a few seconds later the flying Ford Anglia came thundering toward them.

"Get in!" Seth shouted, as he jumped into the driver's seat and Atem and Bakura jumped in the back and they slammed the doors closed behind them.

"Car," Seth muttered, "You've got to fly over the spiders; we need to get back to the school."

The car honked in agreement, before the three spirits felt themselves being thrown against the leather seats as the car took off into the air, flying high above the spiders and out of the Forest.

Finally it landed on the grass outside of the school, and the doors opened to let the three Brits out as they took their Egyptians' places.

"_Follow the spiders_!" Ron snapped as Seth appeared in his transparent form next to him, "If Hagrid ever gets out of Azkaban, I'll _kill_ him! We're lucky to be _alive_!"

"He probably thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," Diana tried to calm him down as Bakura appeared next to her.

"_That's Hagrid's fucking problem_!" Ron shouted, "He _always_ thinks monsters are like cute little puppy dogs, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban! What the hell was the point of sending us _in_ there, anyway? What have we found out?"

"We learned one thing," Atem appeared in his transparent form next to Harry, "Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets. He was innocent."

"Somehow I don't think hatching a giant spider qualifies as _'innocent,'_" Seth replied.

"You sound like you're in a better mood," Diana pointed out.

Seth smiled a small smile. "Hey, if I keep moping around, I'll never help Seto-chan…I have to be strong for Mokuba-chan and Melisanne-kun."

"Glad to have you back, cousin," Atem patted him on the shoulder.

"Good to be back," Seth answered, "Now that my moping is over, I know where we need to look for our next clue."

"Where?" asked Bakura.

"That girl fifty years ago," Seth explained, "Aragog said that she died in a bathroom…what if she never left?"

Diana's eyes widened. "You _don't_ think…"

Harry couldn't believe it. "Not…not _Moaning Myrtle_?"

* * *

**Kitty: Chapter completed.**

**Seth: Finally I stopped being a jerk.**

**Kitty: Hey, with Seto gone, I kinda needed a new jerk...**

**Seto: HEY!**

**Kara: (checks the review box) Wow, Kitty...it sure has been a while since we answered reviews.  
**

**Kitty: Indeed. Who's first?**

**Kara: Setoglomper, reviewing Chapter 16: we didn't answer her review last time around.**

**Kitty: (shifts in her seat at the mention of Seto) The plot bunny shall pay dearly for my reviewer's suffering. I tihnk Claire and I will have a lot of fun butchering it at the Bash-a-thon, even if technically it's only for Malfoy and Lockhart.**

**Hermione: (twitches at the mention of being with Malfoy or Harry) Er...nope! No thanks!**

**Kitty: The only HP shipping I have ever supported fully with is Ron/Hermione. I may look at others, but only with a really good fic, and if the ship is not Harry/Hermione. (twitch, twitch) **

**Seto: According to Kitty, I will not be taking Cedric's place as the Hogwarts champion: for one, she says I will and should not be the primary focus in that part of the book, and second, she wouldn't want to kill me off even if she likes mocking me.**

**Seth: I wouldn't let Kitty kill you.**

**Kitty: I wouldn't, anyway: if it ever did happen (which it won't), it'd be the plot bunny's fault, not mine.**

**Lina: Next is Claire!**

**Kitty: Hey, girl! That actually is exactly what I was going for with Seth. And I think Seth glomping Seto would be funny. (grins widely)  
**

**Seto: (sweatdrop) You would. **

**Yugi: (sends Lucius Malfoy to the Shadow Realm) Yeah, my poor Yami still can't get to grips with it...more of that will be discussed in Let Me Fall (HP & the POA). **

**Kitty: (glomps Yugi) I am very relieved with the outcome of the season, but I'll feel much better when I can write when Yugi is unpetrified. (smiles) Goofy is awesomeness: I've only hugged Mickey, when I was three. I pulled his mask off by mistake...lol.**

**Lina: (grins insanely) The Littlest Elf is pure hell. Then again, anything in the tale of the unfortunate Baudelaire children's story is sure to be.**

**Diana: And now...Kyte.**

**Atem: (eyes widen) NO! NOT THE HAIRGEL! (hides all of his bottles of hairgel in various, hard-to-find places) Don't worry, I'll be careful! (hugs Isis gently) I could never hurt something so beautiful.  
**

**Everyone: (sweatdrop)**

**Kitty: Honestly... (ahem) I hate spiders too! (hides with Kyte behind Bakura)**

**Bakura: (sighs in aggravation) I would get rid of you two, but I would feel more comfortable if the Ring stayed with Dare and Yugi would kill me if I so much as put a sour hand on Kitty.**

**Kitty: I work a little bit on all the books, usually starting with my fav scenes and then branching out. Helps me work if I'm doing little bits and pieces at my own pace. And no more clues with the Valentine: I'll just let you ponder.**

**Lina: Now presenting...Engie!**

**Kitty: RON/HERMIONE FOREVER! That's right. (grins)**

**Ron and Hermione: (blushes)**

**Kitty: Anyway... LUCKY! (pouts) I love the beach.**

**Yugi: I like it too: it lets me see you in a swimsuit.**

**Kitty: YUGI! (blushes furiously) **

**Yugi: What? (nibbles on her earlobe) **

**Kitty: Yugi-chan, stop it! Really...we have to finish the reviews!**

**Yugi: (pouts) Oh...okay. But you owe me.**

**Kitty: (nods) Fine. But right now...we have to answer the review sent to us by Seto's Girl 2004.**

**Lina: Sometimes Kitty's chappies are a little longer/shorter than usual. This one was longer, so that should help even them out.**

**Kara: Next is ANAYAS-CREATOR.**

**Atem, Noa, Bakura and Amelda: OW! (rubs their heads where ANAYA hit them) **

**Kitty: I'll Worship You Forever is currently on hold: the main reason is because I have to plan out Khayer's dueling deck as to work with his strategy. **

**Diana: ("borrows" Isis from Atem and burns Lucius Malfoy)**

**Atem: HEY! GIMME! (grabs Isis back) Oh, little darling, did that stupid redhead hurt you?**

**Diana: (glares at Atem and whacks him over the head like ANAYA did)**

**Atem: OW! What was that for?**

**Diana: (rolls her eyes) And...ZeldaAlly. **

**Kaiba: (his eyes filled with flames) GET OFF MY BROTHER, YOU FILTHY SON OF A BITCH! (uses a blunt bread knife to cut out Jake into a thousand million pieces and throws the pieces onto a stirfry to cook)**

**Everyone: (stare)**

**Seto: That is what you get for teaching my brother such language.**

**Mokuba: (sweatdrop) **

**Noa: Umm...something tells me I won't have a turn with Jake this time around...**

**Jake: (magically comes back together)**

**Noa: (smirks) Spoke too soon! (uses his virtual technology to build himself a sonic canon coming out of his arm that looks similiar to Cyborg's from Teen Titans) HEY! IDIOT!**

**Jake: (turns) Huh?**

**Noa: (shoots Jake's head off, making it roll around the floor and stop to rest at Seto's feet)**

**Seto: (kicks Jake's head out the window) Sayonara, sucker!**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Onward to Rainbow Guardian Angel! **

**Kitty: (fire in her eyes) I agree with you, Mizumi. DIE, LUCIUS!**

**Lucius: EEP! (jumps under Kitty's bed) **

**Kitty: (sigh) "Let Me Fall" is the title of a song written by by absolute fav singer, Josh Groban. All the fics in this series will have titles of songs as their name.**

**Yugi: (pats Rainbow's shoulder) You are not the only one who agrees with Ron-kun about his fear. Kitty hates spiders almost as much as snakes.**

**Atem: (sings) _I don't like spiders and snakes..._**

**Kitty: NO I DON'T! (shivers) **

**Seth: (smiles) Thanks for your reassurance. **

**Everyone: (runs away at Mizumi's evin grin)**

** Everyone: (comes back)**

**Lina: And finally...Dumb Arse. (raises her eyebrow at the name of the reviewer) **

**Kitty: (blushes) Wow. I'm glad you like it that much. And honestly, I don't think any HP/YGO crossover I could ever write could be as good as Skyla Doragono's, but I am honored you think so highly of my fic.**

**Diana: And yes, Bakura and I will get together...after many unfortunate trials like old relationships being discovered, rejection of feelings and jealousy. (sighs)**

**Kitty: SCHOOL'S OUT AT LAST! (takes Yugi's hands and dances around the room)**

**Yugi: Which means more updation in the next two weeks.  
**

**Kitty: Before summer school starts... (growls ferally) History in my grade is HELL...I can't organize, so how do you expect me to get a good grade on a notebook worth, like, 300 points compared to 5 to 10 point other stuff? DAMN, THAT'S SCREWED UP!**

**Yugi: I couldn't agree more. You already learned everything...you got a B+ on the final exam. **

**Lina: (sighs) Whatever. R&R! **


	19. Chapter 18: The Unthinkable

**Amelda: Wow...another chapter so soon?**

**Lina: Kitty started working on it while waiting for the server to work again...I'll assume it's a good part.  
**

**Kitty: (crying)**

**Atem: I'll guess that your guess is wrong.**

**Kitty: WAHHHH! NOOOO! **

**Yugi: (runs over to her) Neko-chan! (hugs her tightly) Neko-chan, what's wrong? **

**Kitty: (sniff) Here's where the bad things end...but this is the absolute worst of it.**

**Yugi and Atem: (exchange a worried look)**

**Lina: Oh, dear.**

**Amelda: R&R! **

* * *

_**Chapter Eighteen:  
The Unthinkable**_

"There's no way we'll be able to go see Moaning Myrtle _now_," Diana said dejectedly at breakfast the next morning, "The teachers are supposed to accompany us to every lesson and we can't be out later than 5:00…"

"We'd have to go during a break, and who knows how long it'd take," Harry agreed, "Imagine: if we only had learned about this _before_ Dumbledore left, then it would've been easy. But now the teachers aren't taking any chances…"

"I heard they're restricting visitors to the Hospital Wing, too," added Ron, "They're probably scared that the Heir of Slytherin will come around and finish them off…"

Diana sighed, and rested her head on the table glumly. "I just wish everything was _normal_ again."

Right then, as if beckoned by Diana's statement, Professor McGonagall stood up from the staff table as if ready to make an announcement.

"I have good news," was all she able to say before voices started shouting out comments.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" a group of Hufflepuffs yelled together.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" shouted a Ravenclaw girl.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood.

When the uproar had subsided, McGonagall spoke again.

"Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight we will be able to revive the people who have been Petrified, and I need hardly remind you that one of them may be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them, which could help us catch the culprit."

All the student tables burst into cheering except for the Slytherin table. Diana was not surprised to see that neither Malfoy nor his cronies looked less than enthusiastic about this news.

It was then that Marik came over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Harry.

"Hey, Marik," greeted Ron, "What's up?"

The Tomb Keeper didn't say anything; his face was very pale and he seemed to be very tense. He shot a look up and down the table nervously.

"I…I need to tell you something," he whispered, looking straight at Diana. In his eyes, she saw fear she'd never seen before.

"What is it?" the Heir of Artemis asked, looking concerned.

It was here that Harry realized whom Marik was acting like: Dobby acted similarly when he was on the edge of telling forbidden information. Marik opened his mouth, but it seemed like he was having trouble talking.

"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets?" Atem took Harry's place, "Have you seen something?"

Marik's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the Pharaoh, and without another word or gesture, he ran out of the Great Hall.

"What did I say?" Atem asked the other two.

"Dunno," Ron replied, "Something is definitely wrong with him, though…"

Diana frowned. "Maybe we better go after him…he looked really scared about something."

"No," Atem shook his head, "He probably needs some time alone, that's all…he'll talk to us when he's ready."

* * *

Diana, Harry and Ron were very lucky to be able to visit their friends in the Hospital Wing around midmorning. Diana supposed that Dumbledore had spoken with Madame Pomfrey about them and the Yamis, and Madame Pomfrey, like all the other teachers, wished to respect what Dumbledore would've wanted while he was away. 

Diana put a new bouquet of flowers in the vase next to Ryou's bed. She could feel Bakura looking through her eyes, and could feel his hidden sadness through the mind-link.

"They'll be back to normal soon," Diana whispered, mostly to Bakura.

"It feels like an eternity since we've been able to speak with them," Harry replied to Diana's assurance softly, "It doesn't matter that we weren't able to see Moaning Myrtle…at least one of them will have seen _something_."

Ron sat next to Hermione's bedside, his hand rested on top of hers, while Seth appeared next to his temporary host, and looked in the opposite direction to look down at Seto.

The High Priest's silver-blue eyes widened. "Uh…Ron-kun?"

Ron turned. "What's up, Seth?"

Seth was pointing his transparent finger at Seto's clenched hand resting on the bed sheets. "There's something in his fist."

"Try to get it out, Ron," Diana prodded him.

It was no easy task, as Seto's hand was holding it so tight you'd think he was trying to strangle it, but after about a minute of tugging and twisting, Ron succeeded in opening the CEO's fist.

"It's a letter from Kitty," Ron said as he smoothed out the paper.

"What does it say?" asked Atem as he and the Tomb Robber appeared next to their hosts.

* * *

**Dear Kaiba-kun,**

**The **_ring_** of the telephone on my desk is now a symbol of how much Mokuba misses you; he keeps calling me to ask how many days it will be until you come home. I will not hide that it was a surprise to look out my window and find Kisara with a letter from you. Even though you and I have never been the best of friends (like you yourself pointed out), I am glad you wrote to me. After receiving your letter, I looked up some stuff in my books to see if I could help your investigation; I thought it'd be best to wait and tell the others after I actually have the answers. Sadly, from Acromantula and Basilisk to Werewolf and Zombie in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I haven't found a thing, but I will keep looking, for Ryou's and Yugi's sake. I hope to have Yugi back in my arms soon, as every time I look down at the **_ring_** on my finger, I think of how much I need him. Say hi to Harry, Dare et all for me.**

**Lots of Luv,**  
**Kitty

* * *

**

"That's a strange letter," Harry commented, "I don't know…something about it just seems weird."

"And here at the bottom," Diana pointed at a single word scribbled at the bottom of the letter, "_'Briefcase.'_"

"That's Seto-chan's handwriting!" Seth realized.

Harry looked around the bed, before spotting Seto's briefcase propped up in the corner. He grabbed it and unsnapped the buckles to open it; all that was in it was a blue-covered book.

"It's a book on magical creatures," Harry said, flipping through the pages.

"It'll take _forever_ to look up everything in that stupid book!" Diana moaned, "Thanks a lot, Seto!"

Ron said nothing, only reading the letter through again. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Guys…this letter…it's a secret message!"

"_What_?"

"Ryou showed me these Muggle books over the summer," Ron explained, "Called _A Series of Unfortunate Events_. He said that they're his and Kitty's favorite book series, and in the author's autobiography, there was a code just like this. Read between the two _'rings'_ in the letter, and write down all the words that are underlined, and you've got the message. Seto even underlined the rings for us as to make it easier."

"So the message is…" Diana's forehead scrunched up in thought, "_'Look…up…Basilisk.'_"

Harry flipped through the pages, finally stopping at a page with the word "Basilisk" written in large, fancy letters at the top.

* * *

_Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

* * *

At first there was silence. Then Harry's face broke into a huge grin. 

"_This is it_," he breathed, "This is the answer. The monster inside of the Chamber of Secrets is a _basilisk_…a giant snake! _That's_ why I can hear it speak and no one else can: because I can speak Parseltongue!"

Diana's eyes narrowed. "But if the basilisk kills by looking people in the eye…how come no one's dead?"

There was a very pregnant pause.

"Because none of them looked it in the eye," Bakura said at last, "Not directly, anyway. Our Hikaris were switching with us when the basilisk came around; I bet we were able to shield them from the basilisk's gaze, so they were Petrified and we were thrown back into the Millennium Items."

"We sensed danger before the basilisk attacked," Atem agreed, "We must've decided to take over in just enough time to save our Hikaris' lives."

"But what about Mione and Mrs. Norris?" asked Ron, "They don't have Yamis."

"Hmm…" Seth bit his lip, thinking hard, before snapping his fingers, "I think I've got it: I remember that there was a mirror hanging on the wall of the corridor that Mione-kun and Seto-chan were walking down…Mione-kun must've looked in the mirror when the basilisk came around the corner…"

"And there was water on the floor the day Mrs. Norris was attacked," Harry remembered, "They only saw the basilisk's _reflection_."

Diana's eyes brightened as if they were lamps that had finally been turned on after an entire life's worth of darkness. She took the book from Harry and scanned the page.

"'_Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy,'_" Diana read, "_'And the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.'_"

"Aragog said the monster in the Chamber was feared by all spiders," Harry nodded, "And Hagrid told me some of his roosters had been killed before Ryou was attacked. It all fits!"

"But how has the basilisk been getting around?" Ron inquired, "A big, ugly snake, _someone_ would've seen it…"

Diana shook her head, pointing at another word written in Seto's handwriting at the foot of the page.

"'_Pipes,'_" she replied quietly, "It's been using the plumbing! _That's_ why Harry's been hearing it inside the walls. And the most convenient place for the Chamber to be is somewhere where all those pipes come together…like a _bathroom_…like…"

"_Moaning Myrtle's bathroom_," Harry and Ron said together.

It was almost too much for Harry, Ron and Diana to sit there in the Hospital Wing with so much excitement and not do anything.

"We've got to tell McGonagall," Diana jumped up out of her chair, "C'mon…break's in a couple minutes, let's head over to the staff room and wait for her there."

The three Brits headed downstairs for the staff room, and went inside as to wait for Gryffindor's Head of House.

But when the bell was supposed to sound to signal break, McGonagall's voice, magically magnified as if she were talking through a Muggle PA system, echoed through the corridors.

"**All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers report to the staff room immediately."**

Ron looked at Diana in horror. "Not another attack…not _now_…"

"What should we do?" Harry asked, "Go back to Gryffindor Tower?"

"No," Diana shook her head, "Let's hear what it's about."

So she and the two boys went over to an ugly wardrobe in the corner and hid inside, listening as the door opened and the teachers started filing in, different types of shoes stepping in unique ways on the floor and their voices softly overlapping.

Diana peaked through the keyhole as the voices ceased and McGonagall spoke.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room, "Two students have been taken by the monster…into the Chamber itself."

Professor Flitwick squeaked in fear; Professor Sprout clapped a hand to her mouth; Snape gripped the back of his chair very hard.

"How can you be sure?" asked the Potions master.

"The Heir of Slytherin left another message," McGonagall replied, her face very white, "Right underneath the first…_'Their skeletons will lie in the Chamber forever.'_"

Professor Flitwick looked about to cry.

"Which…which students were taken, Minerva?" Madame Hooch asked, her voice shaking.

"Ginny Weasley," McGonagall whispered, taking something out of her robes and putting it on the table, "And Marik Ishtar."

Diana's eyes widened in horror, not wanting to believe it; Ron slid silently down onto the floor of the wardrobe.

Snape stood up jerkily. "_Ishtar_…?"

McGonagall nodded. "We have to send the students home…even the Heir of Slytherin's own house isn't safe. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts."

Right then, the door to the staff room burst open; to Diana's disgust, it was only Lockhart, grinning broadly.

"So sorry, dozed off…what have I missed?"

Lockhart didn't seem to noticed that the other teachers were looking at him with something quite similar to hatred, as his grin didn't falter.

Then Snape stepped forward, with a wicked sort of smile. "Just the man. The _very_ man. Two students has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart, and taken into the chamber…your moment has come at last."

Lockhart went white. "Huh? I-I'm afraid I-"

"That's right, Gilderoy," Sprout chipped in, "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is _and_ what was inside it?"

Lockhart seemed speechless.

"We'll leave up to you then, Gilderoy," McGonagall nodded curtly, "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it; we'll make sure everyone is out of your _way_."

"Very well," Lockhart said quickly, forcing a grin on his face, "I'll…I'll just be in my office getting…getting ready."

"Right," McGonagall snorted after Lockhart had left the room, "That got _him_ out from under our feet. Now…the Heads of Houses should go inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow…and make sure that there aren't any students left outside their dormitories."

With that said, the teachers left the staff room. Diana opened the wardrobe, letting herself, Harry and Ron out.

"_Ginny_…" Ron could barely speak.

"I can't believe it," Harry croaked, "We're…we're all that's left now."

Diana didn't speak; instead she went over to the staff table and picked up the thing that McGonagall had put down when telling the teachers about Marik and the youngest Weasley being attacked.

It was a handsome gold watch, with a picture of Marik, Kara and the Ishtar twins behind the watch hands.

Diana felt her eyes fill up with tears, remembering when she'd seen the watch before.

_**"As if I need more gold to wear," Marik joked, but he fondly put the watch around his wrist anyway.**_

Now as Diana looked down at the smiling faces of the four Ishtars, it almost seemed as if Marik was slowly vanishing into the background of the picture.

* * *

**(silence)**

**Kara: MARIK-CHAN...NO! (breaks down crying)**

**Marik: (hugs Kara tightly)  
**

**Kitty: (crying too) I shall OFFICIALLY kill the plot bunny for this.**

**Lina: (types on Kitty's computer) Less reviews than usual...then again, we're posted this pretty quickly, and people _are _on vacation.**

**Yugi: (hugs Kitty tighter) Who's first?**

**Lina: ANAYAS-CREATOR.**

**Kitty: (smiles sadly) I reviewed Code Red: I really like it! And The Demon Witch, as always, is awesomeness.**

**Diana: (grins evilly) Certainly! (looks at Atem) Hey, can I borrow Isis again?  
**

**Atem: (grips Isis close to his chest) NO! She's _my _darling. Find your own.**

**Diana: (glares) Fine. (takes one of Bakura's flamethrowers and burns Lucius Malfoy) MWAHAHAHAHA**

**Everyone: (backs away _slowly_)**

**Bakura: (grins evilly) Heh...a girl after my own heart!**

**Lina: (glares venomously)  
**

**Bakura: (sweatdrop) Uh...heh heh.**

**Diana: Next is Claire!**

**Kitty: You do not suck at writing! You are great: better than me because you don't have a plot bunny hurting all the reviewer-loved bishies.**

**Lina: Summer school sucks: Kitty basically has to take the whole damn class all over again.**

**Kitty: During the summer and on regular level instead of the GT class I was and deserve to be in. (scowls)  
**

**Ron: (hides behind Hermione at the mention of the spiders)**

**Hermione: I dunno, I kinda like the spiders... (tries not to grin at the sight of Ron clinging onto her)**

**Seth: (grins evilly, and then glomps Seto)**

**Seto: NOT YET, BAKA! (whacks Seth on the head)**

**Kitty: I had a feeling Dartz was yet another of Yu-Gi-Oh's classic bad-guys-actually-good-guys-controlled-by-dark-magic from the very beginning, but I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him. (glomps Yugi) _Beauty and the Beast_? LUCKY! My bud back home, Cynthia, saw The Lion King on Broadway, and I responded the same way. (pouts) I want to see a Disney show on stage!**

**Yugi: One day I'll take you to see one.**

**Kitty: (kisses Yugi's cheek) You rock, Yugi-chan.  
**

**Harry: Kitty is counting down with much excitement.**

**Kitty: But if J.K. kills Remus-chan along with Sirius-chan, I will be soooooooooooooooooo mad at her!  
**

**Lina: (nods in fervid agreement) I shall _kill _Bellatrix for that. Mark my words.**

**Kara: (glomping Marik possesively) Onward to Setoglomper's review.**

**Kitty: I agree: typos suck. And we _all _could use a little help, Kaiba-kun.**

**Seto: Some of us more than others...**

**Yugi: (eyes turn to flames) **

**Seto: (sweatdrop) Uh...never mind.  
**

**Kitty: I reviewed your fic, and left a few critiques. Please don't take them badly, I only want to help. (smirks at the comment about Sirius) It's funny you ask that...**

**Lina: (raises an eyebrow) Why?**

**Kitty: (grins like the Cheshire Cat) I'm not telling.**

**Lina: (pouts) Last is Dumb Arse.**

**Kitty: Good to know you like it: I'll try to update again real soon.**

**Yugi: (looks at Kitty's calender, and then grins) Neko-chan, guess what?**

**Kitty: What, Yugi-chan? **

**Yugi: In about a month, you'll be in California!**

**Kitty: YAY! (dances around the room) And I'll see Engie!**

**Atem: Kewl. We'll actually be somewhere warm for a change.**

**Lina: (nods in agreement) R&R!**


	20. Chapter 19: Here Comes Trouble

**Kitty: I've been updating this a lot lately, mostly because I'd like to finish this before summer school stars so my focus will be all on getting Egyptian Nights finished and then working on the duel for I'll Worship You Forever.**

**Yugi: You've got it all planned out nicely.**

**Kitty: Kinda need to...don't know how summer school will be...**

**Lina: R&R!**

**

* * *

_Chapter Nineteen:_**  
_**Double, Double, Here Comes Trouble**_

The Gryffindor common room had never been so quiet as it was after Professor McGonagall told them officially about what happened to Marik and Ginny. Almost everyone had gone up to bed, trying to pretend what they'd heard was a dream; Diana, Harry and Ron sat together in the group of red armchairs in the corner. 

"She knew something," Ron said at last, "She must've known something about the Chamber. That's why she was taken. I mean…she's a pureblood…there can't be another reason."

Neither Diana nor Harry answered. Harry looked out the window at the blood-red sunset and Diana fingered Marik's gold watch, looking paler than the moon that would later rise into the sky.

"I should've gone after him," she whispered, "I should've checked to see if he was okay…and now…Marik might be gone _forever_…"

Diana felt warm arms encircle her as Bakura appeared in his transparent form beside her. _-It's not your fault, Dare-chan.-_

Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "Do you…do you think there's…any chance that they're still…that they're not…?"

Diana bit her lip, trying not to cry as to stay strong for her red-haired friend, but she honestly didn't know what to say.

After another short silence, Atem appeared next to Harry and growled in frustration. "There's got to be _something_ we can do! We can't just _sit_ here while Ginny and Marik-kun are trapped down in the Chamber of Secrets!"

"The only one who's even _looking_ is Lockhart-baka," Seth concurred, "And I think his meddling will just put one _more_ skeleton down there…"

There was yet another pause in which Diana and Harry looked at one other, before Ron said, "Maybe we should go see Lockhart. We can tell him what we know. He may be useless, but he _is_ going to try to get into the Chamber."

Diana sighed, putting Marik's watch in her pocket. "Well, as we can't think of anything _else_ and we all desperately want to do _something_…."

* * *

Darkness was slowly creeping through the hallways of the silent school when Harry, Diana and Ron stepped in front of Lockhart's office. 

Diana put her ear to the door. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Sounds like my mum trying to clean my bedroom," muttered Ron, "But I highly doubt Lockhart's having his mother clean his office."

Harry brushed past the two redheads and raised a hand to knock on the door. The noise from inside the office suddenly changed into a tense silence. Then footsteps echoed on the floor toward them; the door opened the tiniest crack and one of Lockhart's eyes peered through it.

"Oh…Potter…Weasley…Randall…" the wizard author sounded a bit relieved as he opened the door a little wider, "I'm rather busy at the moment…if you would be quick-"

"We have information that might help you," Diana said bluntly.

"Er…well…it's not terribly…" the side of Lockhart's face the three could see looked very uncomfortable, "I mean…well, alright…"

He opened the door fully and they entered the professor's office.

It was almost completely stripped; two trunks lay open on the floor, one stuffed with differently colored robes, the other with books, and the photographs that had coveted the room were now crammed into boxes.

"Are you _going_ somewhere?" Harry asked, his green eyes narrowing.

"Er, yes," muttered Lockhart, as he ripped a life-size poster of himself off the back of the door and rolled it up, "Urgent call, unavoidable…got to go-"

"What about my sister?" Ron demanded jerkily, "What about Marik?"

"Well…as to that, _most_ unfortunate," Lockhart avoided their eyes as he wrenched a drawer out of his bureau and dumped socks on top of his multicolored robes, "No one regrets more than I-"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Harry interrupted furiously, "You can't go _now_, with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

"Well, I must say…when I took the job," Lockhart mumbled almost incoherently as he ripped the brightly shaded curtains from the window, "Nothing in the job description…didn't expect-"

"You're _running away_?" Harry stepped in front of Lockhart's suitcase to stop him from going any farther, "After all that stuff you did in your _books_?"

"Books can be misleading," Lockhart said weakly.

"_You wrote them_!" Harry shouted.

"My dear boy, do use your common sense!" Lockhart went around Harry to dump the curtains into his suitcase, before straightening up, "My books wouldn't have sold _half_ as well as they do if people didn't think _I'd_ done all those things! No one wants to read about some Armenian warlock who saved a village from werewolves if he looked awful on the front cover! And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip, come on-"

"So you've just been taking credit for what _other_ wizards and witches have done?" Harry said incredulously.

"Harry, Harry, _Harry_," Lockhart shook his head impatiently as if he were lecturing the Boy Who Lived about good behavior, "It wasn't _nearly_ that simple. There was work involved: I had to track these people down…ask them how they managed to do what they did…then I had to put a Memory Charm on them, or else they'd go blabbing and I'd never sell another book. If there's one thing I do pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms…"

The professor banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.

"In fact," he said, reaching into the bright yellow robes he was wearing and pulling out his wand, "I'll have to do the same to y-"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Diana shouted abruptly, making Lockhart's wand fly out of his hand. She caught it deftly, before throwing it out the window.

"You shouldn't have let Snape teach us that one," she shoved the shaking professor to the ground, still pointing her wand at his throat, "I _knew_ you couldn't have done _all_ the things you said, but I never imagined you'd be _weak_ enough to steal the credit for what more powerful and worthy people have done! Don't you even feel _guilt_ for tricking almost every witch in the world into idolizing you? You couldn't just become famous off your looks…_no_, you had to lie, deceive and steal! Now when people need someone like the person they _think_ you are, you run away instead of facing your problems head on! I only wish Mione and Mrs. Weasley could see their _idol_ now, shaking like a baby because he's forced to look at his own reflection and see who he truly is: A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING _COWARD_!"

Yelling had clearly made Diana feel a bit better, but she still panted lightly as Lockhart looked up at her feebly. He looked so pathetic that Diana couldn't imagine feeling the least bit sorry for him.

"W-what do you want _me_ to do?" he asked weakly, "I-I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is, I can't do anything-"

"Well then, you're in _luck_," Diana smirked as Ron and Harry forced Lockhart to stand at wand-point, "We think we know where it is _and_ what's inside it. And as it's three wands and three Millennium Items against the wandless and Itemless you, I think you know that doing what we say is the choice more in your favor, so start walking."

And with that, Harry, Ron and Diana marched Lockhart out of his office, down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages of the Heir of Slytherin shone on the wall, and into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As usual, they found the unhappy ghost sitting on the tank of the end toilet.

"Oh, it's just you," she grumbled when she saw them, "What do you want _this_ time?"

"To ask you how you died," Harry replied a little awkwardly. Obviously he had never thought about how to ask someone about dying, particularly someone who had already died.

"Oh…it was _dreadful_," Myrtle looked like she'd never been asked such a flattering question before, "It happened in this very cubical…I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses…I was crying. Then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny…a different language, I think. Don't know which, as I was quite distraught at the time to listen…but then I noticed was that it was a _boy_ speaking, so I unlocked the door to tell him to _go away_, and…" Myrtle paused dramatically, "_I died_."

"Just like that?" Atem asked, appearing next to Harry, "How?"

Lockhart almost fainted at the sight of the Pharaoh, obviously thinking he was Yugi or a ghost or both.

"No idea," Myrtle answered dreamily, "I just remember seeing a pair of big, yellow eyes; my whole body sort of seized up, then I was floating away…and then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see…ooh, she was sorry she'd _ever_ laughed at my glasses."

Atem smirked evilly at that comment. "You go, girl! What did you…?"

"This isn't the time to be swapping prank info, coz," chided Seth, appearing next to Ron and scaring Lockhart again, "Where did you see the eyes?"

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, gesturing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

Diana, Harry and Ron hurried over to it, the Yamis floating next to them. To any unfocused eye, it looked like a regular sink, but to three students looking for the Chamber of Secrets, it looked like the entrance they'd been searching for, although the only indication was a scratched drawing of a tiny snake on the side of the tap.

"Harry," whispered Ron, "Say something in Parseltongue."

"I…I can't," Harry mumbled, "The only times I've ever been able to speak Parseltongue is when I've been faced with a _real_ snake-"

"Well, try to pretend the engraving's real," Diana suggested impatiently.

Harry gulped, before nodding. He stared hard at the engraving for a moment, before he opened his mouth and a strange hissing escaped his lips.

At once, the tap glowed a brilliant white light and began to spin; the sink began to move underneath the floor, right out of sight, to reveal a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

There was a silence. Then Lockhart chuckled nervously.

"Well done, Harry! Ha ha, good work! Well, you hardly…there's no need for me to stay-"

He tried to run, but the Millennium Ring around Diana's neck glowed; Lockhart was suddenly trapped in a purple, Shadow-magicked bubble, and the bubble gently glided over the open pipe.

"You _first_," Atem snarled, his arms crossed across his chest.

"N-n-now really…w-what _good_ will it do?" Lockhart stammered.

"If you're going to use the Pharaoh's Hikari as a publicity stunt, you might as well pay Atem back by working to save his Tomb Keeper," smirked Seth.

"What? I-I'm afraid I-"

But the Tomb Robber didn't wait for Lockhart to finish; he removed the Shadow magic and let the professor fall through the pipe. His yell echoed through the pipe back to them; there was a slight crackling…a silence.

Then…

"It's really quite filthy down here."

"He's alive," Atem muttered.

"Unfortunately," added Bakura.

"At least if the basilisk kills someone, it'll be _him_," Seth snickered.

"Oh stop it, you three," Diana scolded half-heartedly, as the Yamis disappeared back into the Millennium Items, "Alrighty, guys…time to go down the water slide without water."

"For our friends," agreed Harry.

"And the rest of the school," added Ron.

So, starting with Diana and ending with Ron, they jumped down the pipe.

It was indeed like a water slide without water. Diana slid down the pipe, going around twists and turns that slowly and steadily downward, farther below even than the dungeons where they had Potions with Snape.

Finally Diana reached the end, the pipe leveled out and they landed on the damp floor of a stone tunnel near where Lockhart was getting to his feet. Harry rammed into Diana, making her fall over. Muttering quick apologies, they moved out of the way as Ron came whizzing out of the pipe too.

"We must be miles under the school," Harry's voice echoed through the black tunnel.

"Under the lake, probably," Ron said as he eyed the slimy ceiling and walls.

Diana looked at the dark tunnel ahead. When she realized it was as dark as a night sky without stars, she muttered, "_Lumos_!" and made a light appear on the end of her wand.

"C'mon," she beckoned, "This way. And remember…any sign of movement, close your eyes right away."

The tunnel was so dark that the Lumos spell only allowed them to see a little distance in front of them; the only sound in the tunnel was their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor and an occasional CRUNCH of one of them stepping on a small animal skeleton.

Suddenly, Diana stopped and flung her arms in front of her to stop the others. "There's something up there."

The three students and one professor froze, listening; the thing Diana had spotted was lying, motionless, on the floor of the tunnel in front of them.

"Maybe it's asleep," muttered Harry.

Diana shook her head. "It's not breathing."

The female Gryffindor squinted, trying to get a better look. "It's not even alive," she whispered at last, "It's a snakeskin."

"Blimey," said Ron, "What shed this must be twenty feet long…at _least_."

There was a quick movement behind them; Lockhart's knees had given way.

"Get up," snapped Ron, poking Lockhart in the shoulder with his wand.

Lockhart slowly got to his feet…and then snatched Ron's wand right out of his hand and pointed it at each of the students in turn.

"The adventure ends _here_, boys and girls," he said grandly, "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save your friends, and that you three _tragically_ lost your minds at the sight of their mangled bodies…so…" Lockhart looked at Harry, "You first, Mr. Potter…say goodbye to your memories!"

He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand and yelled, "_Obliviate_!"

What happened next seemed to go in slow motion; just before Lockhart shouted the incantation, Diana jumped in front of Harry and yelled, "_Protego_!" to block the spell, but it didn't block the spell: it blocked the rubble falling from the ceiling after the wand exploded with the force of a small bomb.

When the dust cleared and the Shield Charm wore off, Diana and Harry found themselves alone and facing a solid wall of broken rock.

"Ron?" Diana cried, "Ron? Are you okay? _Ron_!"

"I'm fine, Dare!" Ron's voice was muffled from behind the rock, "Lockhart isn't, though, he got blasted by the wand…"

There was a dull thud and a loud _"ow!"_; Diana guessed that Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.

"What now?" asked Ron, "We can't get through, it'd take ages…and we have to hurry if we plan to save Marik and Ginny…"

Diana bit her lip in thought. "Ron, wait there with Lockhart and try to move some of the rock so we can get back through. Harry and I will go on ahead and find Ginny and Marik. C'mon, Harry, let's-"

"Hold up," Ron interrupted, pushing a hand through some of the rock so that there was a small hole, "Seth said he wants to be there with Atem. I'm sure he could use Marik as a host on the other side. Take the Rod with you."

Diana smiled as Ron pushed the Millennium Rod through the opening to her. "Okay, Ron. We'll be back soon, I promise."

And so, Harry and Diana ran through the rest of the tunnel past the giant snakeskin. At last they reached a solid wall carved with two entwining serpents with glinting green eyes.

Harry cleared his throat, gripping Diana's hand nervously, and whispered something in Parseltongue.

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight like the sink back in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and Harry and Diana walked inside.

* * *

**Kitty: End.  
**

**Yugi: Ahh...the climax is approaching!**

**Lina: About time.**

**Kara: (still holding Marik possesively) First is aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl. (frowns) Yeah, my poor Marik-chan...**

**Marik: I'll be okay soon, though.**

**Kitty: One more chapter 'til you can find out about the fighting...I will say, though, that Diana will not be getting a sword/weapon out of the Sorting Hat like Harry, so that probably helps answer it for you. That does not mean, however, that Diana will not have a role in the battle.  
**

**Lina: Next is Kyte.**

**Kitty: Again, poor, poor Marik-kun...  
**

**Diana: (grins as Isis is given to her)**

**Atem: (looks mournfully at Isis in Diana's arms)**

**Diana: (sighs in aggravation) Ohhh...fine, Atem, here. (hands Isis to Atem)**

**Atem: (eyes turn to hearts: snatches Isis and snuggles her)**

**Everyone Else: (sweatdrop)**

**Kitty: Tom will pay. I shall make sure of it. And I think I've basically answered the "fighting-the-Basilisk" question.**

**Kara: And...Claire!**

**Kitty: Good luck to you with the University. (grins) I've always liked Florida better than NY, mostly because I hate the crowds and because, after the hosting of an infamous Spanish exchange student, shopping has been a turn-off for me unless it's with friends.**

**Lina: (smirks) Maybe we should include the plot bunny in the Bash-a-thon, Kitty.**

**Kitty: Sounds good to me. I think everyone with a bishie here will be tempted to do something to 'im, anyway...**

**Plot Bunny: EEP! (jumps underneath Kitty's bed)**

**Kitty: (starts talking like Elmer Fudd) I is hunting for wabbits... (grins evilly as she clicks a magically-appeared rifle) And I thought it was kinda kewl how Kaiba and I were able to agree on something to solve the mystery.  
**

**Seto: (rolls his eyes) Only you...And don't worry, I won't hurt you for your fanfic: ****unlike Yugi, I have self-control.**

**Kitty: (whacks Seto on the head with her Whack-a-Mole mallet) Yugi-chan has control! He may want to hurt _Drake_, but he knows you can't hurt an author: they're only the messenger, typing the story for all to read. **

**Yugi: And I'd never hurt Claire-kun anyway. (gives Claire a hug) As always, Kitten and I can't wait to read more!**

**Hermione: (sighs) As Ron is in denial, I have very little to work with. But I'll find a way for him to admit it, one day... (grins)  
**

**Kitty: I cried when Phantom sang in Phantom of the Opera, so I'll probably cry when Beast does...I like those types of chars. **

**Lina: (stabs Bellatrix a hundred million times and shoves her body under Kitty's bed) Now presenting...Setoglomper!**

**Kitty: Of course I'm doing a sequel: I love this fic too much to quit on it. (smiles) Ah, now I understand. I did wonder if there was a hidden meaning between the Draco-Fatha thing.**

**Yugi: And Kitty will be updating a lot in the next two weeks as to finish before summer school, so expect another update very soon.**

**Kara: Last, but certainly not least, is ANAYAS-CREATER.**

**Kitty: (frowns) That reviewer's wrong. I will agree that Sakura's character hasn't been explored to its true, hard-core potential, but it is still early in the fic and you haven't even touched upon the climax yet. I think Sakura is an awesome char; that reviewer doesn't know what he/she's talking about.**

**Yugi: On a lighter note, we're glad to hear that another update of the DW is in progress. You know Kitty and the rest of us love reading it.**

**Kitty: Today is Father's Day! I sent my dad a graphic I made with this poem on it:**

_All those special, show-off stars  
That we watch and idolize  
Did not always shine so bright  
In the black, stage-like skies._

_Once they were but kids with dreams  
And a small, untrained talent,  
But when they lost or gave up too fast,  
They were lucky to have a parent_

_To coach them with their teachings  
And help them stand back up,  
To give them a rose when they did good,  
And say, "Never give up." _

_Soon those stars grew up and flew  
To take their places up above;  
It's times like this that I remember  
Your true, unwavering love_.

**Kitty: I think, even vacant dads like mine, deserve to have some recognition for at least trying to love their kids like they used to.**

**Yugi: (hugs Kitty tightly) R&R! **


	21. Chapter 20: Answers from the Heir

**Kitty: (smiles) Wow! 31 hits on this fic?**

**Yugi: That's the most hits in all your fics. Congrats, Kitten!**

**Kitty: (glomps Yugi) Makes me love writing this fic even more when I get signs that people are reading and enjoying it.**

**Lina: (nods) Like reviews, so R&R! **

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty:**_

_**Answers from the Heir**_

Diana looked around at the very long, dimly lit chamber that she and Harry had entered. Stone pillars entwined with even more carved serpents seemed to tower forever above them on all sides, casting long black shadows that almost seemed to try to grab them and hold them tight in a cold, tight grasp. In the very back of the Chamber, there was a statue as high as the ceiling itself, with an ancient, monkey-like face partnered with a long thin beard that fell almost to the stone man's feet standing on the smooth floor. And near to the feet lay two black-robed figures, one with long platinum blond hair, the other with flaming red. 

"_Marik_!"

"_Ginny_!"

The two Gryffindors ran over to them.   
"Marik, come on," Diana turned the Egyptian over and lightly slapped his face, "Wake up, Marik…"   
"Ginny," Harry muttered, dropping his wand on the floor and trying to find a pulse on her wrist, "Wake up, it's me, Harry…we have to get out of here…" 

Bakura and Atem appeared near their hosts, looking down at Ginny and Marik in nervous fear.

"Maybe they were Petrified," Atem whispered.

"No, their eyes are closed," Bakura argued, his face very pale, "But if they're not _Petrified_, that means…that means they're…"

"_NO_!" Diana shouted desperately, "Marik, wake up! You _can't_ _die_, you hear me? You _need_ to wake up!"

"They won't wake," said a voice. 

The Yamis vanished instantly. Diana whirled around to meet the eyes of a tall, black-haired boy leaning on the nearest pillar.

He looked like a student, as he was dressed by the Hogwarts dress code, and there was a silver Prefect's badge shining on his chest. But the strangest thing about him was that he was slightly blurred around the edges, as if he had popped out of a badly shot photograph.

"Who…who _are_ you?" Diana scrambled to her feet and fingered the wand in her pocket that was lying next to where she'd put the Millennium Rod.

"My name is Tom Riddle," replied the boy, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you two face-to-face."

"_Tom Riddle_?" Diana repeated, "You're the one who owned that diary…" 

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off her.

"What do you mean _'they won't wake'_?" Harry asked anxiously, "They can't be…they're _not_…"

"They're alive," Riddle assured them, "But only just."

Diana stared at the boy with an odd type of curious surprise, pulling her hand out of her wand pocket. He'd been at Hogwarts fifty years ago…how could he be standing here in front of her, not a day older than sixteen?

"Are you a ghost?" Diana inquired.

"A memory," Riddle corrected, not breaking eye contact with Diana but stepping closer to her, "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

"The diary…?" Diana could barely speak.

Her eyes shot back at Marik and Ginny, and next to Marik's outstretched hand was the little black book she recognized as T.M. Riddle's diary.

_/How did it get here/_ Diana wondered.

_-Never mind about that,-_ Bakura thought in her direction, _-There are more important things to worry about, like getting Ginny and Marik out of here.-_

_/Yeah…right./_

"Look…I'd love to chat about why on earth you were trapped in a book," Diana responded conversationally, "But _later_, after Marik and Ginny are out of danger…"

"Danger?" asked Riddle.

"There's a basilisk in here, it could come around at any moment," Harry tried to hoist Ginny onto his back, "You've got to help us get our friends out of here, Tom…"

But Riddle didn't move as Diana and Harry lifted their friends up onto their backs. Harry bent to pick up his wand again…

But his wand was gone.

The Boy Who Lived looked up, and saw Riddle twirling his wand between his fingers.

"Give me my wand, Tom," Harry, with difficulty, held his hand out for his wand.

Riddle, however, only smirked and continued to twirl the wand idly. "You won't be needing it."

"We could use all the protection we could get in this place," Diana argued, "Give Harry his wand and let's _go_! If the basilisk comes-"

"It won't come until it's called," Riddle interrupted calmly.

Harry stared. "_What_…?"

"It doesn't matter," Diana muttered, "C'mon, Harry, we've got to get back to Ron…"

"No," Riddle stepped in front of them to stop them from leaving, "I've waited a long time to see you…to speak with you."

"I don't think you get it," Diana was losing patience quickly, "We're in the _Chamber of Secrets_. We can talk _later_-"

"We're going to talk _now_," Riddle smirked even more broadly as he pocketed Harry's wand.

Diana's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she slowly put Marik back on the ground and straightened up to look at him.

_/What the hell is he playing at/_

_-I don't know,-_ thought Bakura, _-But something funny is going on here…-_

Diana nodded inwardly in agreement, looking back again at Marik's pale, expressionless face. Then she looked up at Riddle.

"How did Marik and Ginny get like this?" she asked in an almost accusing way.

"That's a very interesting question, actually," Riddle answered pleasantly, "And quite a long story… I suppose the _real_ reason they're like this is because they opened their hearts and spilled all their secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" inquired Harry.

"_The diary_," Diana realized, "But…but how did _Ginny_…?"

"Mr. Ishtar found it in one of his schoolbooks," Riddle replied without letting her finish, "Thinking it was a plain old diary, he meant to throw it away, but little Ginny asked him if she could have it. She'd never had a diary before, you see…so Marik gave it to her. When Ginny wrote in my diary, she realized that I could answer back. I was patient with her: I was sympathetic, I was _kind_…Ginny simple _loved_ me. She wrote to me about all her pitiful worries and woes…how her brothers _tease_ her, how she has to come to school with second-hand robes…how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever _like_ her…"

Riddle laughed a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him.

Diana felt a surge of hatred. "So you tricked her into believing she could trust you…but _why_? What could you possibly want from an innocent girl?"

"Her soul," Riddle replied, "And with the knowledge of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets, I grew stronger and stronger. I grew powerful, powerful enough to start feeding little Miss Weasley a few of my secrets a few of _my_ secrets, to start pouring a little of _my_ soul back into her…"

"You _possessed_ her!" Diana indicted.

"Indeed," Riddle's smirk broadened, "I made Ginny open the Chamber of Secrets…I made her strangle the school roosters and daub threatening messages on the walls…I made her set the Serpent of Slytherin on your Mudblood friends and the Squib's cat."

"_No_," Harry whispered.

"_Yes_," Riddle's voice was still unusually calm, although his eyes had an almost hungry glint in them, "It took quite a while before stupid little Ginny stopped trusting her precious diary. When she did, she tried to dispose of it in the abandoned girls' bathroom…and then who should find it but her brother, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter? Marik, who recognized the diary, took it from you so that he could _'examine it for ancient magic.' _What a joke! He wanted to find out why Ginny disposed of it. He figured there must be some kind of strange magic in it if she tried to get rid of it. On Valentine's Day, Marik figured out the secret of my diary, but he wanted more. I wasn't his little _friend_ like I was with Ginny…no, I was his _adviser_."

"What are you talking about?" Diana hissed.

"Marik was fascinated by the amount of powerful magic I knew," Riddle explained coolly, "Being but a second year he couldn't learn everything he wanted to know fast enough. He definitely _is_ a Slytherin at heart…his lust for power is uncanny. So what if it was dark magic? He thought if he was using it for a good cause, like saving his pathetic wife and children from danger, then it wouldn't matter. But his _'lessons'_ were enough to let me start stealing some of his soul and possessing him too. I attacked Kaiba and Granger and then brought him back to his common room as to make him think he had dozed off. I had to be careful, as he had already been possessed once before and knew the signs. Marik still ended up suspecting me later, but by the time that happened, it was too late. Funny…all I needed to do was make him doubt Hagrid, and he immediately trusted me…"

"Hagrid's our _friend_!" Harry shouted, his eyes narrowing, "And you _framed_ him, didn't you? We thought you'd made a _mistake_, but-"

Riddle laughed his high laugh again. "It was my word against Hagrid's! You can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so _brave_, school prefect, model student…on the other, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls…but I admit, even _I_ was surprised how well my plan worked. Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper."

"That sounds like Dumbledore, alright," Diana smirked, "I bet he saw right thorough you."

"He certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," snarled Riddle, "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school, so I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self within its pages, so that one day, I would be able to lead _another_ to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."

"Well, you _haven't_ finished it," Harry said triumphantly, "No one's died this time, not even the cat, and soon the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone will be back to normal."

"Haven't I told you, Harry Potter?" whispered Riddle, "Killing Mudbloods doesn't _matter_ to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been…_you_."

Diana's eyes narrowed, and she stepped in front of Harry in a sort of protecting manner.

"What do you want with Harry?" Diana demanded.

"I have many questions," replied Riddle, "Why _else_ would I bring Marik and Ginny down here? I knew that he would come if one of his friends was in danger…and I was kind of _hoping_ he'd bring you with him, Miss Randall. Your past intrigues me…"

"I don't care what _intrigues_ you," Diana spat, "You're much more than you're leading us to believe. You're the Heir of Slytherin, yes, but a _normal_ Heir would be more concerned about killing Muggle-borns than going after people like Harry and me. Who are you, Tom Riddle?"

Riddle's eyes almost had a red gleam in them that made Diana think of her eyes flashing when Artemis was about to come out.

"Marik was right about you, Diana Randall," he smirked, "You _are_ brilliant for a twelve-year-old…"

Riddle pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words.

**TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE**

Then he waved the wand, and the letters rearranged themselves into four new words.

**I AM LORD VOLDEMORT**

Diana stared at the newly formed words in horror. "_'I am Lord Voldemort…'_"

"Did you expect me to keep the name that my filthy Muggle father cursed me with forever?" whispered Riddle, "No. I fashioned myself a _new_ name: a name I knew that wizards everywhere would fear to speak when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Diana's eyes never left Riddle's face as he spoke, but she just couldn't believe it. The boy that Marik and Ginny had trusted, an orphan so much like Harry and herself, grew up to murder and ruin hundreds of lives…

"You're not," Harry suddenly said, his voice filled with hatred.

"_What_?" snapped Riddle.

"You're _not_ the greatest sorcerer in the world," Harry repeated, breathing fast, "Albus Dumbledore is. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try to take over Hogwarts, because Dumbledore has always frightened and will continue to frighten you for the rest of your life!"

Riddle's smirk vanished, and was replaced with a very ugly look. "Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere _memory_ of me!"

"He's not as gone as you may think!" Harry retorted.

Diana looked at her friend in puzzlement. _/What is Harry doing? Riddle's holding all the cards here…he still has the basilisk and he still has Ginny and Marik at his disposal./_

_-I think Harry-kun's trying to scare him,-_ thought Bakura.

_/How will that help/_ asked Diana.

_-Manly instinct. If you need to feel brave, do something stupid.-_

Diana sweatdropped. Riddle opened his mouth to retort to Harry's bluffing, but froze at the strange sound of…music.

_/Phoenix song/_ Diana realized, feeling as if her heart had grown twice its normal size.

A crimson bird the size of a swan with a glittering gold tail as long as a peacock's and its gold talons gripped onto a ragged bundle had appeared, singing its song so it would echo around the Chamber.

The bird dropped the bundle at Diana's feet and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"_Fawkes_?" Harry breathed, "What are _you_ doing here?

Diana picked up the ragged thing Fawkes had dropped. "The Sorting Hat…"

Riddle began to laugh again. "So _this_ is what Dumbledore sends his great defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel _brave_ now, Harry Potter? Do you feel _safe_?"

Harry didn't answer, looking from Fawkes on his shoulder, to the Sorting Hat, and then to Diana worriedly.

She shook her head slowly as if to say, _'It doesn't matter whether or not these things will help us; we'll still have to fight Riddle if we plan to escape the Chamber with Marik and Ginny,' _before looking at Riddle coldly.

"Dumbledore works in mysterious ways, Riddle," Artemis's Heir spoke calmly, but it seemed to cut through Riddle's laughter like a knife through a stick of butter, "You'll just have to see if this songbird and old hat are as harmless as you _think_ they are."

"I look forward to your most _valiant_ efforts, Miss Randall," Riddle scorned.

He turned, looking up at the stone face of Slytherin's statue, before hissing something in Parseltongue.

Diana quickly looked at Harry. "What did he say?"

"'_Speak to me, Slytherin,'_" Harry muttered back, "_'Greatest of Hogwarts four.'_"

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving, his mouth opening wider and wider to make a huge black hole, and farther into the darkness, and the two Gryffindors could something slithering from its depths and toward the exit.

Riddle looked back at them, his twisted smile returning. "Let's match the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against the Heir of Artemis and the infamous Harry Potter."

* * *

**Kitty: (frowns) Man, that Tom Riddle explanation took forever...looks like the basilisk fight will have to wait for one more chapter...damn, that sucks.**

**Yugi: Hey, at least you'll still get to write it for next chapter. In the meantime, we have to answer the reviews.**

**Kara: First is ANAYAS-CREATER.**

**Kitty: Nice to know you like it! **

**Diana: (winks) T'was my pleasure. **

**Ron: (grins) Maybe next time...**

**Hermione: (eyes turn to flames)**

**Ron: (sweatdrop) Aw, c'mon, Mione, you know he's a fraud!**

**Hermione: (points her wand at Ron and turns him into a mouse)**

**Crookshanks: (chases Ron around the room) MRROW! **

**Ron the Mouse: EEK! MIIIIOOONNNNEEEE!**

**Everyone Else: (sweatdrop)**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Uh...next is aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl.**

**Kitty: Unfortunately, you'll have to wait one more chapter for the basilisk scene as my estimation of chapter time was off. I think the main problem is that I usually end up making two chapters out of one normal HP chapter, but I stuffed the chapter "The Chamber of Secrets," all into the last chapter, which screwed up the rhythm. (pouts)**

**Lina: You'll just have to wait to see with Dare with the rest of us...even we don't know what Kitty's planning in that insane mind of hers.**

**Kitty: (grins insanely) Of course I'm doing a sequel. If I wrote this as a sequel to Ready to Run, I think it'd be only fitting that I continued. **

**Diana: And now...Setoglomper!**

**Yugi: Interesting...your favs are almost exactly like Kitty's if you switch Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban. **

**Kitty:**** I luvsies Prisoner of Azkaban...of course I would, it's where we first meet my fav HP bishies! (glomps Sirius and Remus at the same time) A mini-J.K.? Whoa...J.K. is like GOD... I feel all snuggly inside now. (smiles) ****And it's nice to know you like the poem. Hope my dad does...**

**Lina: (kills the typo with her machete)**

**Kara: Onward to Claire's review!**

**Kitty: Hey, Harry and Dare can handle that loser. Riddle is a jerk who's lived in a book for fifty years...**

**Yugi: And Em-Em would say what****to that?**

**Kitty: (sweatdrops at the mention of her friend who's obsessed with Tom Riddle) Probably that he's a hottie who could kick Harry's and Dare's asses.**

**Lina: (sweatdrop) Not hard to believe that in one of your roleplays, you named Voldemort's son's mother after her... **

**Kitty: Anyway...I know how you feel about bad weather...dang, I left San Diego for THIS? San Diego's weather is PERFECT, and Maryland is humid, wet and prone for cicadas every-so-often. (sticks her tongue out in disgust)  
**

**Yugi: Broadway is definitely awesome.**

**Kitty: I've only seen a pretty cheap show there (The Blue Man Group), but gawd...I'd love to go back and see Phantom and Wicked and Jekyl and Hyde and the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast and... (goes on and on and on)**

**Lina: (rolls her eyes) Honestly...and yeah, the plot bunny will probably get more than a few bashers if he makes a "guest apperance" at the Bash-a-thon.  
**

**Yugi and Atem: (take turns poking needles into the Drake voodoo doll)**

**Hermione: Alright, Crookshanks, give him here.**

**Crookshanks: (has Ron the Mouse dangling from his mouth as he trots over to Hermione)**

**Hermione: (changes Ron back and kisses him on the cheek)**

**Ron: (blushes furiously) She shows her love in some straaaange ways... (grins stupidly)**

**Kitty: I tried reading the book: it was really, really different from the musical. (frowns) I think I like the musical better; then again, I was the same way with the musical/book Wicked... **

**Kara: Onward to Kyte's review.**

**Kitty: (while Atem's distracted with the Drake voodoo doll, snatches Isis back and hands it Kyte) I think it'll be a while before he notices she's gone...he's got a very low attention span. (winks)**

**Lina: Summer school sucks. Just plain sucks.**

**Kitty: Drama! I love Drama! I'm in the Drama Club at school!**

**Atem: But weren't you only in the Chorus?**

**Kitty: (vein popping in her temple) ALL THE FRESHMAN WERE! But I shall get my chance next year: I mean, I got an award for acting the most lively in the Chorus in the Wiz! My chance will be next year.**

**Yugi: Yes, Kitten, and you know we will all be in the front row to watch your amazing performance.**

**Kitty: (kisses Yugi's cheek) You're a sweetheart. **

**Seto: I agree with you about Lockhart...anyone who calls me "Kaiba-boy" deserves more than a lost memory. **

**Bakura: (glares at Kitty) Why are you making me nice!**

**Kitty: I already told you: you've taken a liking to Dare. The strange liking, with no sense of explanation: whether this liking will lead to love or have a different ending will be discussed later. I can assure you, however, that there is only one other person that Bakura treated like this, and it's a character who's past we've not discussed that much. (winks mysteriously) So Bakura's not turning nice on us.  
**

**Harry: (blushes) And is there a particular reason that you made me grip Dare's hand?**

**Kitty: Well, in my view, Dare acts a lot like a big sister for Harry, because she's very confident and brave. Hermione actually mentioned that when Dare thought Harry was the Heir of Slytherin. Whether Harry and Dare will be anything more or not will remain a mystery for you readers for quite sometime. **

**Everyone Else: (pouts)**

**Kitty: JELLYFISH! (runs over to her fish tank, where Squishy is still bobbing up and down) Say hi, Squishy!**

**Squishy: MEEP! **

**Kitty: AWWWW! My little baby Squishykins... (croons sweetly at her jellyfish)**

**Yugi: (sweatdrop) Oh boy, not this again... (sighs) Next review?**

**Kara: ZeldaAlly, and she's asking for forgiveness for not reviewing sooner.**

**Kitty: (stops ZeldaAlly from hitting herself on the head) Calm down, hun! It's no big deal. Really. **

**Diana: (grins) Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.**

**Kitty: Thank you, Ally. (smiles) Good to hear approval. Again, I only hope my dad likes it...unlike everything else I do. (sighs) Anyway...Ron? Your turn to shoot Jake. (shoves one of Bakura's machine guns into Ron's hands)  
**

**Ron: (looks down at the machine gun)  
**

**Kitty: What are you waiting for? SHOOT HIM!**

**Ron: Uh... (blushes furiously) How do you use this thing?**

**Everyone: (anime-fall)**

**Hermione: Honestly, do I have to do everything around here? (runs over and helps Ron focus the machine gun) Now pull the triger--**

**Ron: The what?**

**Hermione: (sweatdrop) This will take a while...**

**Kitty: (sweatdrop) I'll let Mione and Ron figure that out...we got to finish the reviews.**

**Lina: It's Kaiba-Kun's turn to take the stage.**

**Seto: (raises an eyebrow) What? I didn't review.**

**Lina: No, that's the person's name.**

**Seto: (sarcastic) Oh how very flattering.**

**Kitty: (smiles) Good to know you enjoy it, and I'll update again soon. **

**Diana: And last, but most certainly not least, reviewing from the Yamis' homeland of Egypt...Engie!**

**Kitty: It's okay, we understand. Traveling can keep you busy. (smiles innocently) NO WAY! My first plan was to take you to Disney Land/California Adventure! Man, we read each other's thoughts...**** In advance, I will be taking you on all the rides: most importantly, all the rollercoasters, the Haunted Mansion and the Teacup ride! (GRINS) **

**Atem: (slaps his face) NEVER get Kitty talking about any of the Disney themeparks or the movies... **

**Marik: (hugs Engie to make her feel better) I'll be back really soon...**

**Kara: (strangles the plot-bunny)**

**Kitty: Hey, I probably would've forgotten about Father's Day too if Mum hadn't talked to me about it and my daughterly destation of my dad's hurt kicking in. I had to shorten the title so it'd fit on the little menu thingy, but yeah, I kinda like it too. I'm a sucker for Macbeth...or mostly any other thing by Shakespeare...  
**

**Lina: Hmm, I didn't think Engie sounded too bad. Better than hearing Yugi sing Phantom of the Opera for Kitty to get her into bed...**

**Yugi: (blushes furiously) LINA!**

**Lina: (grins evilly) **

**Kitty: (glomps Yugi) Aw, c'mon Yugi, don't you like singing to me?**

**Yugi: Yes, Kitten. (nibbles on Kitty's earlobe) Yes, my Angel of Music...**

**Kitty: (snuggles Yugi's cheek) Thanks again for the 31 hits! I luv y'all so much!**

**Diana: R&R! **


	22. Chapter 21: The Final Face Off

**Kitty: I HATE MY LIFE. Why can't I update on schedule and be able to type this whole commentary once instead of having to type it over and over again because of my dad's stupid mouse controls that makes me go back to the previous page and lose all my typing?**

**Yugi: (comes into the room) Do I hear an angsty voice in here belonging to my precious Kitten?**

**Kitty: You do, and you already know why. Damn my computer with all my info crashing.**

**Lina: Damn it to hell. But at least you finished HBP before you flew over here to San Diego.**

**Kitty: Yep. I am in love with Morfin Gaunt. Parseltongue is hot. (glomps Morfin)**

**Morfin: Hiess es shehis! **

**Kitty: (hearts pop over her head) Ooh, that sounded so hot.**

**Harry: (sweatdrop) He said, "Get off me, Mudblood!"**

**Kitty: I don't care, it still sounded hot. **

**Yugi: (glares at Morfin) R&R!

* * *

**

**_Chapter Twenty-One:_**

**_The Final Face-off_**

Diana and Harry took a few steps back as the Monster of Slytherin neared the exit of the statue's mouth. As the basilisk's scaly nose came into view, they turned in the opposite direction and began to run, only being able to watch the basilisk's shadow on the wall to figure out where it was. 

Harry snapped something at the basilisk in Parseltongue (Diana decided it must've meant something like, _"Leave us alone!"_) but Riddle only laughed and said, "Parseltongue won't save you now, Potter; it only obeys me!"

And it seemed that Riddle was right as, right after he said it, the basilisk bit right near Diana's ankles. 

"Harry!" shouted Diana, "Get Marik and Ginny out of here, I'll distract it!"

"But Dare-" 

"GO!" Diana shoved him out of the basilisk's path.

Harry stumbled to the side as Diana started shooting spells over her shoulder to keep the basilisk's attention on her.

_/What am I going to do? What am I going to do/ _he thought in fear, _/Dare can't fight it alone/_

_-Don't worry, Harry-kun,-_ Atem assured him, _-Dare-kun's got the Tomb Robber to help her, remember? He'll keep her safe.-_

Harry had almost forgotten about the Yamis being with them; at the remembrance of it, an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

_/Three heads are better than two/_ Harry thought with a smirk.

"Dare!" he shouted, "Give me the Millennium Rod!"

"_What_?" Diana yelled, as she aimed a Stunner near where she thought the Basilisk's mouth was.

"Just do it!" Harry yelled back.

Diana pulled the Millennium Rod out of her pocket.

"Catch!" she said, before throwing it like a football over to him.

But her aim was off, and it slid across the floor pass him, over to where Marik and Ginny were still lying. There was a flash of golden light…

And a white, freckled hand lifted it into the air.

Ginny Weasley, her eyes shining a bright blue and her height slightly increased, stood up and looked at Harry.

"Seth?" Harry asked.

"Hey, Harry-kun," Seth's voice came out of Ginny's responding mouth, "I should've known the Rod would choose Ginny instead of Marik…_get down_!"

He pulled Harry down as one of Diana's spells shot over them and burnt a circle into the wall.

"Why would the Millennium Rod choose Ginny?" asked Harry.

"For the same reason it chose Ron-kun, I guess," replied Seth, "There's obviously something in the Weasley family the Rod likes…anyway, Marik is my cousin's Tomb Keeper, and he and I were enemies, you know-"

"DARE, WATCH OUT!" Harry shouted, as the basilisk got ready to strike.

But before Bakura could react to help Diana, Fawkes the Phoenix swooped in and sunk his claws into the basilisk's eyes.

The giant serpent screeched and writhed, trying to get the bird off of its face, but when Fawkes finally let go, Diana turned around to see that the basilisk's eyes were punctured.

"_No_!" Riddle growled, "Your bird might have blinded the basilisk, but it can still _hear_ you!"

Diana's eyes flashed. _/It can? Well then…it'll be easier to keep it away from Harry and Seth/_

She picked up a rock and, thinking of Ron, threw it at the serpent's nose.

"Hey, Lizard-Lips!" Diana mocked, "Remember me? Your fellow actor, Diana Randall, always up for a chase scene!"

Obviously that did it, as the basilisk struck right where Artemis's Heir had been standing two seconds ago, before she had started running.

Seth, with Harry's help, was trying to hoist Marik onto his back, which proved more difficult than he had thought as the former Tomb Keeper was much larger than Ginny was.

"He really…needs to lay off…on the Pumpkin Pasties," Seth wheezed.

Suddenly Diana was thrown against the wall and pinned with the basilisk's tail up. She struggled against it, but she couldn't get free. Her sky-blue eyes went wide in horror as the basilisk sniffed her, and then got prepared to strike.

Seth dropped Marik on the ground and held up the Millennium Rod. In a flash, a dagger appeared out of the bottom of it, and Seth plunged it into the basilisk's side.

It let out a sound that was a mixture of to a high-pitched scream and a cat's hiss, and when the High Priest jerked the dagger out, there shone a bloodstained, gold-rimmed wound. The basilisk's tail fell away from Diana as it whammed Seth into the opposite wall, throwing the Millennium Rod out of his hand and into the corner.

"_Seth_!" Harry yelled, scrambling to his feet and about to run over to him…

It wad then that Fawkes dropped a familiar piece of cloth at Harry's feet.

"The Sorting Hat…" Harry mumbled.

Staring at it for a moment and then oddly making up his mind, the Boy Who Lived picked the hat up and put it on his head.

_-Harry-kun, what in the name of Ra are you doing?-_ asked Atem.

_/I don't know/_ replied Harry, _/I guess it's just me being stupid…but I think the Sorting Hat can help us beat the basilisk./_

_-What do you think it'll do, cough up a furball?-_

_/OW/_

Stars winked in front of Harry's eyes as something hard and metal fell on his head. Shaking his head a little to clear it, he lifted the hat up off his head and reached inside to pull out a shining, silver-and-ruby-encrusted sword.

_/This is one heck of a furball, then/_ Harry thought, before putting the Sorting Hat on the ground and running over to Seth.

"Hey!" Harry shouted at the basilisk, "If you want to fight someone, why not fight someone who can fight back?"

The blind basilisk turned to him, just as Harry swung the sword at it and made a huge slash down its tail. It hissed furiously, before biting three inches to where Harry was.

Harry swung the sword again to slash its face, and the basilisk reared, shaking its head back-and-forth until it hit Harry and sent him reeling onto the floor.

The basilisk began to strike, its fangs bared…

"HARRY-KUN, LOOK OUT!" Seth shouted from the corner.

Harry looked up and, his eyes narrowing in determination, seized the sword and plunged it through the upper-roof of the serpent's mouth to stab its brain.

The basilisk shrieked, but Harry held fast and pushed the sword a little harder; at last, the serpent began to crumple, and Harry pulled the sword out. But he wasn't quick enough, for one of the basilisk's fangs sank deep into his forearm. Nevertheless, the basilisk slowly collapsed on the Chamber floor in a dead heap.

Harry pulled the single fang out of his arm to examine the wound as he walked weakly over to a nearby Diana. But he didn't quite make it to her; he dropped both the fang and the sword and fell to the floor.

"_Harry_!" Diana picked him up, letting him lean his head on her shoulder.

"Harry-kun, are you okay?" Seth asked anxiously as he ran over, his Millennium Rod back in his hand, and Atem and Bakura appeared beside them.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" Riddle suddenly spoke, his mouth going up again into an evil smirk, "How quickly basilisk venom penetrates the body? I suppose he'll have a little over a minute to live…then he can be with his darling Mudblood mother…and to think, she tried to prevent this…"

"You did it, Harry-kun," Bakura told him, "You killed the basilisk…you saved Seth and Dare-chan…"

_-Hang on, Harry-kun,-_ Atem pleaded, _-You're going to be okay…just hold on…-_

But in Harry's ears, their voices were slowly fading away.

Diana stared at Harry's white, blank face, and then glared at Riddle in unadulterated hatred. "You…_you_…"

Riddle laughed his high, cold laugh. "Randall…did you _really_ think you had a chance? Soon Marik and Ginny will be dead, and I will cease to be a memory…Potter may have killed the basilisk, but neither he nor you ever had a chance of beating me. Lord Voldemort will return…very much alive."

Diana looked from Seth in Ginny's body, to Harry, and then to Marik, where her eyes lay upon the little black book still sitting next to Marik's outstretched hand.

Then, very, very slowly, she looked up and Riddle, and her mouth went up into an almost identical smirk.

"Voldemort probably _will_ return, Riddle," she whispered, "But, frankly, I'd like him to come back when I can fit him into my schedule!"

Diana seized the basilisk's fang Harry had dropped and plunged it into Tom Riddle's diary.

Riddle's eyes went wide and he screamed as though Diana had stabbed him in the heart with a knife, as his figure began shining a bright gold, before shattering into a thousand pieces.

Diana glared where Riddle had been standing, and then looked at Harry.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me?"

Harry's vacant green eyes passed over her face. "I…I don't think I have much time…you have to get Marik and Ginny…out…"

"We're not leaving without you, Harry-kun," Bakura argued.

Fawkes flew down to the three of them and landed right next to Harry.

"Hi, Fawkes," Harry whispered, "You…you were brilliant…I just wasn't fast enough…"

"Oh, stop acting like a martyr, Harry!" Diana snapped, her eyes filling up with tears.

Fawkes brought his head down to Harry's forearm and glistening tears fell from his eyes and onto the wound. A few seconds later, the wound and the blood were gone.

Atem's eyes widened. "Of _course_…phoenix tears have healing powers…"

It was then that they heard a moan behind them.

Diana whirled around. "MARIK!"

The Tomb Keeper sat up, holding his head. "What…happened…where…?"

He then saw his friends. "Dare-kun! Harry-kun!"

Diana ran over to him and gave him a big hug. "You're _okay_! Thank _Merlin _you're okay!"

Then Seth held his head, moaning also; when he looked up, Ginny was in his place, her eyes once again a Weasley brown and the High Priest appearing in his transparent form beside her.

"How…why…_Riddle_!" her head jerked around, "What happened to Riddle?"

Marik pulled out of Diana's hug, and looked around the Chamber. His eyes widened at the sight of the basilisk. "It's _dead_! But does that mean that _Riddle_…?"

"He's gone too," said Harry, holding up the ruined diary, "We beat him."

Marik stared at the diary in Harry's hand; then he turned to look at Atem. "_Pharaoh_…"

Tears fell down his cheeks. "Pharaoh…I'm _sorry_! I'm so _sorry_! I didn't _mean_ for it to happen…I…I didn't mean to dishonor you again! I was only worried about Kara-chan and Ariel and Kane; I only wanted to protect them! Riddle said-"

"I know, Marik-kun," Atem put a transparent hand on his shoulder, "I know…it's not your fault…"

"W-what'll Mum and Dad say?" stammered Ginny, looking ready to cry also, "I'll be expelled for sure! I haven't even made it through my first year!"

"We'll explain everything, Ginny-chan," Seth assured her, "I'm sure Dumbledore-san will understand."

Diana and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of Dumbledore," said Diana, "We aught to get back up toward the school…after we find Ron and Lockhart the Nimrod, of course…"

"Ron's here?" asked Ginny in surprise.

"Why'd you bring Lockhart with you?" Marik wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Yes and only because he was supposed to be looking for you two," Bakura answered both questions with a scowl, "But that's not important, let's just get out of this oversized toilet already…"

* * *

Naturally Ron was very pleased to see both Marik and Ginny alive, although the sword Harry had gotten out of the Sorting Hat surprised him. 

"It looks like it would come out of a treasury, don't you think?" Ron asked, looking at the sword with wide eyes, "I wonder how the Sorting Hat got a hold of it…"

"Maybe it's stolen," suggested Bakura, eying the sword with more of a sneaky look, "It looks like something someone would want to steal…"

"Don't even _think _about it, Tomb Robber," reproached Atem.

Lockhart, after being hit with his own Memory Charm, didn't remember a thing about who he was or that he was a Hogwarts teacher. In fact, he was currently under the impression (thanks to a mischievous Diana and aided by her equally impish Yami) that he was actually a dog trapped in a human's body. Needless to say, the group had a laugh when Diana threw a rock and Lockhart brought it back to her with an overly enthusiastic bark.

"I should bring him home to Aunt Gwen," Diana grinned, patting the top of Lockhart's curly blond hair, "I've always wanted a dog, and I think Gilderoy works rather well."

"_Woof_!" barked Lockhart.

Finally the five students, accompanied by the whining professor-turned-dog, grabbed onto Fawkes's tail, and to everyone's surprise but Harry's ("Fawkes is no ordinary bird," he stated, a smile appearing on his face), they were lifted off the ground and up the pipe back into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

The usually sobbing ghost stared at them all as they felt their feet touch the wet bathroom floor.

"You're alive," she said blankly.

"Most of us are, anyway," laughed Atem, "But there's no need to be so disappointed about it."

"Well…you know, if Harry had died…you'd always be welcome to share my toilet," replied Myrtle, blushing silver.

If Yamis could faint, Atem would've done so then. However, as he couldn't, the past Pharaoh retreated into his soulroom in complete embarrassment, the Tomb Robber and High Priest laughing their heads off.

The group followed the flying Fawkes out of the abandoned bathroom, down some hallways and up some stairs to the door of Professor McGonagall's office, where Fawkes rested on Harry's shoulder and looked at him expectantly. Beaming up at the phoenix, Harry knocked on the door before pushing it open and leading the others inside.

* * *

**Kitty: Chapter completed.**

**Morfin: Hiss seh ises sess elishes. Uses lissss hiss.  
**

**Kitty: (sigh) That was hot too. (looks at Harry) What did he say?**

**Harry: He said, "It's time for those stupid review things of yours. Now let me go."**

**Kitty: My darling little Gaunt is correct. It IS time for reviews. And no, I won't let you go.**

**Morfin: (eyes narrow) Issssssssshe.**

**Yugi: (glares at Harry) What did he say?  
**

**Harry: (eyes go wide) I don't want to die, so I refuse to translate that.**

**Yugi: (scowls) Remind me to kill him later. Anyway...first review is from aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl. Well, this update is probably the latest update in the history of Cold Day in July as well as Ready to Run, so Kitty apologizes for not finishing this chapter sooner. (smiles at the "insane"comment) It's amazing how often insanity and genius coincide. **

**Kitty: I can't wait for the sequel. PRISONER OF AZKABAN, WEE! (glomps both Remus and Sirius) And thanks: I thought I might want to give Marik a bit more attention than normal, and hey, I wanted to explain why I put him in Slytherin, so it worked out great.**

**Lina: Next is ANAYAS-CREATER.**

**Ron: (his hair and clothes messed up) She turned me back eventually...and then snogged me later in the broomstick cupboard. (blushes) I think that lightened up the whole experience. (grins stupidly)**

**Hermione: (pats Ron lovingly on the head) At least all those shippers who think Harry and I should get together are put to rest after HBP. And Kitty shall try never, ever to wait as long ever again to update. **

**Bakura: (smirks) I am very wise.**

**Atem: (rolls his eyes) Riiiiiiiiiight...and so humble, too... (ahem) The next person on our list is Zelda-Ally.**

**Jake: (taunts)_ Ron is an idiot, Ron is an idiot..._**

**Hermione: Shut up! (picks up a machine gun and fires away at Jake) **

**Everyone: (stares) **

**Hermione: (fuming) Only I can call Ron an idiot! And he's MY idiot! **

**Ron: (stares) Mione...you just...he's...THAT WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT! (kisses Hermione full on the mouth)  
**

**Kitty: (smiles) Those two are so cute. Anyway...I suggest Ally hide, as Lockhart the dog has been hanging out over here... (sweatdrop)  
**

**Lockhart: WOOF! WOOF, WOOF!**

**Harry: (sweatdrop) Dare, this is officially the worst idea you've ever had in your life.**

**Diana: (grins proudly) Hope you guys liked the basilisk scene in this chappie. **

**Lina: Onward to Kyte, who helped us get 150 reviews.**

**Kitty: You so rock, girl! (hugs Kyte) Anyway...I hate snakes. (hides) My dad tried to make me go with him into the reptile house at San Diego Zoo; I told him that unless he could edit the snake in Sorcerer's Stone and the glass disappearing, I refused to go in. **

**Ryou: And no, it's not me. Sad to say, you were pretty way off, because the person whose past we have yet to discuss has to do with my Yami's love life more than Dare's. But Dare's love life will not be single only to Bakura and Malfoy, so there's someone else who Kitty refuses to tell us of.  
**

**Kitty: Yep, shame on Ron. And yes, I do still love you all, very, very much. (smiles) Next is Kaiba-kun. I've already answered your question by email, and thanks much for the praise.**

**Yugi: Ahhh...and now is one of my very favorite reviewers: Rainbow Guardian Angel! Good to see you again. (hugs Mizumi back)  
**

**Kitty: Well, I'm on vacation too, so I know how you feel. (frowns) Sorry about the sunburn, Mizumi: I'm sunburned on my upper arm too. It's fading away now, but it looks like a cow spot. Mooooooooooo. (sweatdrop)**

**Atem: (scowls) It would've been funnier if it'd left me out of that...but hey, what do I know?**

**Bakura: Not much.**

**Atem: (whacks Bakura over the head) Shut up. Well, Lockhart's still a pain even if he's now a dog, but at least he's paper-trained. (hugs Mizumi back too)  
**

**Kitty: I actually like Tom, even though he Petrified my poor Yugi-chan. His char is very intriguing, especially in HBP. (sweatdrop) I do hope you bring Isis back...I don't think Kyte would be very pleased to know that Isis was stolen all over again...**

**Kara: And now...Claire.**

**Kitty: Well, now my computer can keep your computer company! Glad to know you liked the chappie; I agree, Marik's lust for power isn't petty like most Slytherins, but amibition is ambition, so that is part of the reason I put Marik in Slytherin. That, and I thought it'd be interesting if each of the four Japanese boys sorta represents a different house.**

**Lina: (burns the Dress Code at Claire's school with her flamethrower) Glad Kitty's school doesn't have a Dress Code.**

**Yugi: (nods) Then it'd be even harder to get her into any sexy clothes.**

**Kitty: YUGI! (blushes) Really... (ahem) Broadway is God. **

**Yugi: (picks up the noose and grins evilly) PUNJAB LASSO! (strangles the Drake voodoo doll)**

**Kitty: Now, now, Yugi, Atem's the Phantom of the Opera in my fic, not you.**

**Yugi: (pouts) But can't you let me be him just this once? You could be my Christine...**

**Kitty: Yugi...ah! (Yugi starts nibbling on her ear) Oh, alright, alright! Just behave until the reviews are over, will you?**

**Yugi: (smirks) Yes, my Angel of Music...**

**Kitty: (ahem) Anyway... (brushes herself off) Ron and Mione can be awfully weird sometimes, but it's times like when Mione pulls Ron into a closet and snogs him that we know they care about each other. (winks) And summer reading sucks: I have it too.**

**Lina: Now presenting our old friend lilyqueen777. (blinks) Third year, hun. THIS is second year. But whatever. Glad for your enthusiasm.**

**Kara: And finally, last but certainly not least, is Blackcat14200! **

**Kitty: You are very, very kind. (smiles) I'm looking forward to writing those two, let me assure you. **

**Yugi: (smiles) That I will do. (kisses Kitty's cheek) Hi, Neko-chan.**

**Kitty: (kisses him back) Hi yourself, Yugi-chan. **

**Atem: (gives Blackcat a roguish wink) Ja ne, honey.**

**Kitty: Alrighty now...these fanfic hits are unbelievable...346 currently! (eyes well up with tears of joy) I love you guys soooooo much! What did I do to deserve all this praise from you? I truly cannot thank you enough.**

**Yugi: Kitty?**

**Kitty: Yes, Yugi?**

**Yugi: It's almost time for the Bash-a-thon! We'll have to start planning it next chapter.**

**Kitty: (nods) You're right! The Second Annual Bash-a-thon will be something to look forward to, so do get your bashing ideas for Malfoy the Amazing Bouncing Ferret and Lockhart the Dog ready for your reviews on Chapter 22 of Cold Day in July! **

**Lina: R&R!  
**


	23. Chapter 22: At the Beginning Again

**Kitty: Last chapter. **

**Yugi: (wide eyes) You mean...this chapter ends it?**

**Kitty: Read the chapter title: there are no endings, only beginnings.**

**Lina: (blink) You're starting to sound like Dumbledore...**

**Kitty: Someone has to, now that... (sniff) (sniff)**

**Atem: She's got a point there.**

**Noa: (sigh) R&R!**

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty-Two:**_

_**At the Beginning Again**_

When all five students and Fawkes were inside the office, there was a silence. Then, out of nowhere, there were two screams similar in volume and pitch, and both Ginny and Marik felt themselves being hugged, by Mrs. Weasley and Kara Rozene, respectively.

"K-_Kara-chan_?" Marik tried not to fall over from supporting her weight as well as his own.

"Marik-chan…oh Marik-chan, you're _alright_! Thank Ra Almighty…I thought I'd lost you! I was so scared!"

McGonagall stood up from the chair behind her desk, her eyes quite wide indeed, and next to her desk, his eyes twinkling, was Albus Dumbledore.

"Kara-chan," Marik said as he pulled away from her, "Where are-?"

"Right here," Kara assured him, gesturing to a baby carriage nearby.

Marik spent no time at all in running over to the crib and brought both Ariel and Kane into his arms, nuzzling their cheeks and stroking their hair.

"_Daddy_!" Kane shrieked his first word over and over, "_Daddy_!"

Mrs. Weasley finally pulled away from Ginny, her eyes streaming with tears of joy, before pulling Harry, Ron and Diana into a crushing embrace.

"You _saved_ her!" she cried, "You _saved_ her! _How_ did you do it?"

"I think we _all_ would like to know the answer to that," said McGonagall.

After Mrs. Weasley let go of the three of them, Ron, Harry and Diana started into the long story. They was careful not to mention anything about Riddle or the diary as not to get Ginny and Marik in trouble, but even without that, the explanation took over a quarter of an hour.

At last, Dumbledore smiled. "My only question to that story is…how did Voldemort possess Ginny and Marik when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in Albania?"

Diana felt a bit of relief that Dumbledore had figured it out in that weird way of his without them having to tell him. The Weasley parents gasped in horror, and Kara's arms around Marik tightened.

"Y-_You-Know-Who_? P-Possess _Ginny_?" Mr. Weasley stammered, "_How-_?"

"It was this diary," Harry spoke up, showing them the ruined book, "Riddle made it while he was a student here, and when Ginny and Marik wrote in it, after a while, Riddle was able to control them…"

Dumbledore took the diary, looking at it carefully. "Ah, yes…Tom Riddle was very bright, even at that age. I taught him myself, fifty years ago…and I suppose that by attaining Marik's and Ginny's souls he could help bring his future self back to power."

He looked up again. "But there seems to be a lack of a story for one of our number. Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

The three Gryffindors sweatdropped. They hadn't mentioned Lockhart at all.

"Er…you see, sir, there was an accident," Ron said awkwardly, "Lockhart tried to cast a Memory Charm…with my wand…and it sorta…backfired."

"WOOF!" barked Lockhart loudly, before licking McGonagall's face. The Deputy Headmistress recoiled, looking quite revolted.

"And now he thinks he's a dog," Diana finished meekly.

"The last one's her fault," said Harry, jabbing his thumb at Diana, who stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, it seems that I can't have a dog teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, so it appears that I will have to look for yet another for next year…my, we _do _seem to run through them, don't we?"

The Headmaster then turned his head to look at Kara. "I think you should bring your husband up to the Hospital Wing and let him get some rest. Molly, I think Ginny could use some too. And Miss Rozene, if you would bring Professor Lockhart up to the Hospital Wing with you, Madame Pomfrey can transport himself to St. Mungo's safely."

Kara nodded, before she led the whining Lockhart out of the room by the collar, and Marik, the twins' baby carriage, Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed her and the "dog" out of McGonagall's office.

"Minerva," said Dumbledore as Fawkes landed on the desk next to him, "I think all this would end quite nicely with a decent feast."

McGonagall inclined her head slightly. "I'll go alert the kitchen staff," she replied as she swept from the room also.

So the room was left empty except for Ron, Diana, Harry and Dumbledore. When the door had closed, Dumbledore spoke again. "You do realize, of course, that in the last 24 hours that you have broken over a dozen school rules."

Diana's mouth dropped. After all that, after suffering through Polyjuice potion, having their friends attacked, almost getting eaten by spiders, going down through a bathroom pipe, fighting a basilisk and stopping Voldemort from returning, they were going to be expelled from Hogwarts?

"Yes, sir," was all that Harry could think of to say.

"There is sufficient evidence to have you three expelled," said Dumbledore, "Which is why it only fitting that you each receive…a Special Award for Services to the School and 200 points for Gryffindor."

The three blinked at one another in surprise, before they grinned in relief.

"Thank you, sir," Ron replied weakly.

Dumbledore inclined his head in a little nod, before picking up a scroll and handing it to Ron. "Now…Mr. Weasley, if you could have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban? I believe we'd like our Gamekeeper back."

Diana's grin widened at the mention of Hagrid, as Ron took the scroll and, smiling quickly at his other two friends, left the room also.

"First of all, Harry, Diana," Dumbledore stated, stroking Fawkes, "I would like to thank you. You must have shown me true loyalty down there in the Chamber. Nothing but that could've called Fawkes to you."

Diana thought of Harry trying to scare Riddle to make himself feel a little braver, and sweatdropped. _That_ was loyalty?

"And second," Dumbledore continued, "I see by your face that something is troubling you, Harry."

Diana looked at Harry through the corner of her eye; he did look uneasy.

"Well, it's just…" Harry thought of how to begin, "I couldn't help but notice…_similarities_ between Riddle and me…when I put on the Sorting Hat last year, it said that I would do well in Slytherin…people thought _I_ was the Heir of Slytherin for a while…and we both speak Parseltongue."

_/The Hat told Harry he should be in Slytherin/ _Diana repeated in her head.

Diana remembered in her sorting the Sorting Hat had said the same thing. Its last words echoed in her head.

"**Artemis's Heir should be in Slytherin, but off to GRYFFINDOR with you!"**

"Harry, you can speak Parseltongue _because_ Voldemort can speak Parseltongue," Dumbledore replied. "Voldemort is the only remaining Heir of Salazar Slytherin, and unless I'm very much mistaken, he unintentionally transferred some of his power to you the night he gave you that scar."

Diana stared. Harry's eyes widened in horror.

"So…so I _should_ be in Slytherin!" the Boy Who Lived stammered, "The Sorting Hat felt Slytherin's power in me when I was sorted!"

"That's true," Dumbledore nodded, "You possess many qualities that Salazar Slytherin himself prized: his own rare gift, Parseltongue, resourcefulness, determination…and, if I may say, a certain disregard for the rules," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "And yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. Why do you think that is?"

"Because I asked it to," Harry sighed in a defeated tone.

"Exactly, Harry,_ exactly_!_"_ Dumbledore exclaimed, pleased, "Which makes you different from Voldemort. It is not our _abilities_ who make us who we truly are: it is our _choices_."

Diana was startled at that pronouncement, but couldn't help but see the wisdom in it. She could've had a completely different life than she already did: who knows where she'd be if she had made different choices? One single choice could change who Diana was forever.

"If you want proof that you belong in Gryffindor, Harry," said Dumbledore, seeing Harry's doubt, "I suggest you look more closely at the sword that you got out of the Sorting Hat."

Harry blinked in surprise, before he picked up the sword and looked at it. Engraved right below the hilt of the bloodstained weapon was a name.

"**_'Godric Gryffindor,'_**" he read in a whisper. 

"Only a true Gryffindor could pull _that_ out of the Hat," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled a little.

"Well, Harry, that's proof enough for me!" Diana told him, feeling a lot better now that the topic had been closed, "You are officially a Gryffindor. Good thing too, I don't want your points to go to Slytherin instead…"

"Oh, shut up!" Harry laughed, punching her in the arm.

It was then that the door flew open and a man walked into the office.

"Good evening, Lucius," Dumbledore greeted pleasantly.

Mr. Malfoy, his hair slightly ruffled, his traveling cloak off center and his face filled with anger, stalked over to the desk, and following him, wrapped tightly in bandages, was…

"_Dobby_?" Harry realized, "So _this_ is your master! The family you serve is the Malfoys!"

"So!" Mr. Malfoy hissed coldly in Dumbledore's direction as he came up to the desk, "It's true. You have returned."

"Well, when the other governors were informed that Arthur Weasley's daughter and Mr. Ishtar were taken into the Chamber, they saw fit to summon me back," Dumbledore replied rather calmly, "And curiously, Lucius…some of them were under the impression that you would curse their families if you would not agree to suspend me in the first place."

Diana couldn't help but smirk at Mr. Malfoy's look; he looked as though he was trying to stop himself from killing something.

"The culprit has been identified…I presume?" Mr. Malfoy said after a minute, trying to sound calmer than he looked.

"It was the same person as last time," Dumbledore answered, "Although this time he chose to act through someone else, by means…of _this_."

He pointed to the diary in Harry's hand. Mr. Malfoy's eyes flickered.

"…I see."

Diana looked over at Harry, to see Dobby shooting a significant look at the diary and then at Mr. Malfoy, before whacking himself on the head.

"Harry," she said under her breath, "Give me Tom Riddle's diary."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but handed her the book nevertheless.

"It was a clever plan," Dumbledore remarked, "If Harry and his friends hadn't discovered the diary, Mr. Ishtar and Miss Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one could have proven that they hadn't acted of their own free will. Slytherin house would no longer have any Muggle-borns in their house if Marik was expelled…we could even go on to say Britain's newly-formed friendship with wizarding Japan would be ruined. Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act would've probably become a joke…_imagine_! His own daughter being a hypocrite to the very idea behind it."

At last, after several cycles of Dobby's looks and continuous punishment, Harry nodded in understanding, and the house elf twisted his ears in punishment.

"Do you know how Marik got hold of the diary, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Mr. Malfoy glared at him. "How would _I _know how that stupid boy got it?"

"Because you gave it to him," said Diana, "When you wrote down the _'role model'_ in Marik's book in Flourish and Blotts. You cast an spell to slip the diary inside without us seeing…so it is only fitting…"

She shoved the ruined diary into Mr. Malfoy's hand with an impish grin, "…that I give you back what is yours."

Mr. Malfoy scowled at Diana; then he thrust the book into Dobby's hands, and started toward the door. "Come, Dobby."

Dobby looked about to follow him, but in his hesitant look from Harry to Diana, he noticed that Diana was mouthing the words, _"Open it."_

Surprised, Dobby opened the diary to the first page, and to his shock, a black biker glove was sitting between the pages.

"_Dobby_!" Mr. Malfoy snapped from the door.

"Master has presented Dobby with _clothes_!" Dobby picked up the biker glove as though it were a priceless treasure.

"What, I didn't-" Mr. Malfoy turned around, and to his shock, saw that Dobby was right.

"Dobby is…_free_," Dobby looked like he could barely contain his glee.

Mr. Malfoy's eyes flew to Harry and Diana, and the redhead girl shook both of her hands in front of her. One hand only showed her fingers as the rest was covered in a black glove, but the other was uncovered, almost pure white, and marked with a crescent moon birthmark.

"Dobby _is_ free," Diana was having trouble keeping herself from laughing, "And it means _you_, Mr. Malfoy, need a _new _person to yell at."

Biker gloves: 1 Galleon.

The original diary: 30 Quid.

The look of loathing of Mr. Malfoy's face: _priceless_.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast in the Great Hall, Marik sat at the Gryffindor table with Diana, Ron and Harry instead of at his usual lonely spot at the Slytherin table. Both he and Ginny looked happier than Diana had seen them look since the beginning of the year. 

It was then the large Hall doors opened, and Yugi, Ryou, Seto and Hermione stepped inside. Diana and the other three shot to their feet and ran over to greet their friends. Ron was blushing quite furiously when Hermione hugged him ("You solved it! I can't believe you solved it!").

When Yugi came over to Harry, the Boy Who Lived slipped a familiar chain and golden pyramid off of his neck and handed it to him.

Yugi's amethyst eyes brightened. "_My Puzzle_! You kept it for me?"

"Of course I did," laughed Harry.

"We all kept your Yamis out of trouble," Diana grinned.

She took off the Millennium Ring and handed it to Ryou as Ron handed Seto the Rod. All three Japanese boys smiled, before their eyes went blank. Then, shaking their heads to clear their thoughts, they all sweatdropped.

"Atem-kun made me promise to never go out after dark again."

"Bakura-san said if I ever did that again, he'd send me to the Shadow Realm."

"He _glomped_ me! That freak glomped me! There goes my reputation down the drain…"

A while later, Hagrid came through the large doors, sobbing most profoundly as he gave Harry, Ron and Diana a large bear hug, all final exams were cancelled as a school treat, delighting everyone but Hermione, and thanks to the 600 points that Diana, Harry and Ron received from Dumbledore, Gryffindor won the House Cup for the second year in a row.

The joy of that night in the Great Hall was still present three days later when the Brits and the Japanese boys boarded the Hogwarts Express to travel back to Kings Cross Station. When the magic students came into the Muggle view of the station, Kara and the twins, as well as the ensemble of Japanese friends the Brits had met over the summer, were there to greet them.

Joey immediately seized Yugi by the neck and mussed up his hair, saying that he had missed messing up his spiky hair. When Mai finally pulled her boyfriend off of his best friend, Kitty practically pounced on Yugi, knocking him to the ground and kissing him all over his face and neck. Ryou found himself in another person's hug every two minutes. Mokuba acted a lot like Seth had when Seto came back by glomping him, and even Melisanne went out of her usually quiet behavior by running into Seto's arms and giving him a kiss that, Joey teased, lasted for hours.

As the Japanese wizards waved goodbye to their British friends, who were headed in the opposite direction to join up with their families, Diana couldn't help but smile. Two years, and already she'd had more adventure than she thought was possible for a girl of her age. She walked through the crowd of Muggles to leave Kings Cross Station with Aunt Gwen and, looking up at the clear blue sky already ready with a shining summer sun, Diana had a feeling that when her next year at Hogwarts began, it would hold even more surprises than the one she'd just finished. But that thought didn't scare her: it only excited her, and her anticipation for a new adventure ends this chapter of her life with a glimmer of optimism.

* * *

**Kitty: So ends Cold Day in July.**

**Yugi: Wow, I think that's the most optimism I've ever read in the end of one of your fics, Kitty Kat. I mean, Destiny Dilemas had an opimistic ending too, but this is way more...What inspired that out of you?  
**

**Kitty: You. You're the optimist here. And with the next fic, I think Diana needs a little optimism.**

**Lina: Does that mean the fic will be sad?**

Kitty: No, it'll just be filled with drama and teen angst.

Lina: (licks her lips) Yum. Me love angst.

Diana: Well, are we going to start setting up the Bash-a-thon in here, or what?

Atem: (picks up a box of streamers, balloons and sharp weapons) Yugi and I will handle that...you guys answer the reviews.

Kitty: Good idea. Kara, who's first on our list?

Kara: Kyte, and it seems that you made her confused.

Kitty: (frowns) Oh, dear... Kyte, darling: let me sum up the clues you have so far, and then I'll give you two more clues. The person has to do with RYOU'S Yami (a.k.a. Bakura) and his love-life. So no, the person doesn't have anything to do with Yugi. Bakura's love-life with this person has not been discussed at all yet, for we haven't gone into this person's story much. Alright, now for the new clues: this person is a woman, and is an original chracter.

Marik: (blushes) You've nothing to fear with Dare and me.

Kitty: Marik compared to the Japanese Hikaris can relate the most with Dare. Before Dare met Bakura in Ready to Run, Marik was her best friend, and that's still there.

Bakura: WHAT? (fumes silently)

Kitty: Maybe because he looks so much like Inuyasha-chan. (smiles at the mention of her new obsession)

Bakura: I AM NOT A DOG!

Kitty: Sit, boy.

Bakura: (is slammed face-first into the floor)

Atem: (laughs) Well, this makes me feel a bit better after being hit on by Moaning Myrtle.

Kitty: I needed a joke there, and hey, everybody loves Atem. (winks)

Lina: Next is Claire.

Kitty: (sweatdrop) Heh...

Yugi: (taping up streamers) I know Neko-chan has a lot of bishies, and yeah, while I can get DAMN jealous, (eyes turn red in anger, and then go back to normal) I know she chose me as her boyfriend for a reason.

Kitty: Well...no, I wasn't really planning for the Weasleys to be connected to Egypt...I just thought there'd be a reason that each of the Brits got chosen, and Ron's was never truly explained. It's not that special; Harry got chosen because evil seems to follow him everywhere (a bit like Atem/Yugi, really), Dare got chosen because she's Bakura's best friend and for another reason I won't reveal now, and Ron mostly got chosen for his loyalty (similar to Seth's for Atem) and bravery, which is the reason why all the Weasleys have gotten into Gryffindor. (shrugs) Apparently you thought Chapter 21 was the end, but it seems that you're off by one chapter. That's okay, though.

Ron: (blushes) Yep, Hermione practically jumped on me, and Kitty actually did...fitting. Hermione's a little more controlled than Kitty.

Kitty: I like being wild, though, Ron, so I find that compliment. And Dare's valentine, like I've said earlier, will be revealed in another story, a bit vaguely and quietly. I won't tell you where or else it might be too obvious who it is.

Atem: (twirling the Drake doll by the Punjab lasso over his head) Ah...this could be a nice fair ride, don't you think? All created in the genius mind of the Pharaoh of Egypt...

Yugi: Yami-kun, help me blow up these balloons, will you? That way the hot air making your head so big will actually have a purpose.

Atem: (pouts and puts down the doll) Well, Drake's safe...for now, anyway... (evil grin)

Kitty: (smirks) I love those torture ideas! (makes a note of them for the Bash-a-thon)

Diana: Next is aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl.

Kitty: Well, glad I could put a bit of cheer in going back to school for ya. School doesn't start for me until the end of August...and I'll be coming back home just in time for my first day... (scowls)

Diana: I thought I was going to fight more...all I did was make the snake chase me.

Kitty: I said you'd have your own part, and you were in character by trying to protect your friends. It works. Kinda hard when I needed to develop Harry a bit more and let him have his spotlight. (smiles) And I actually think that category is where I belong...wow! I now know my purpose in life.

Lina: Now for something completely different: the review of ANAYAS-CREATER.

Diana: (smirks) At least _someone _thinks it's a good idea.

Harry: There always has to be someone who supports stupidity, or else it wouldn't exist.

Diana: (sticks her tongue out at Harry)

Kitty: (sweatdrops at the treatment of Morfin) "Hot" doesn't mean "nice," sad to say... I don't know what I like about him, I just do. I have no further explanation. (glomps Yugi) And yes, he's better.

Yugi: I love you too, Kitten.

Kitty: (lets go of him so he can continue painting the balloons with silly pictures of Lockhart the Dog and Malfoy the Ferret) And Seto's all yours...when he's not Melisanne's, anyway.

Kara: Next is Zelda-Ally.

Hermione: (blushes)

Ron: (hugs her) Ha, she can be quite unpredictable. And I love her for it.

Kitty: Good to hear Ally's no pushover...

Lockhart: WOOF! WOOF, WOOF! (tugging on the leash chaining him to Kitty's bed)

Kitty: ...and since Lockhart won't be needed 'til the fifth book, when I can bring him back from the dead, Ally can hurt him to her heart's content.

Ginny: I think Kitty meant for it to surprise people. She needed to surprise us a little since we all have read the books and nothing J.K. originally wrote can surprise us.

Kitty: (takes notes on ZeldaAlly's plans for the Bash-a-thon) Wow, we've got a nice bunch of torture to do this time around... Next review?

Diana: It's Engie!

Kitty: Heya, hun! Yes...Harry, that was one awesome line of yours.

Harry: (blushes) Thanks, Kitty.

Marik: (going blue)

Kitty: Careful, girl: don't want to strangle him... (gently pulls Marik out of her squeezing arms) He's all yours after the Bash-a-thone, I have officially named all of the Heir of Slytherin victims as announcers.

Ginny: Me too?

Kitty: Yep. After HBP, I kinda need to have you around more often. Love that line with Ron and his Pygmy Puff tattoo. (grins)

Ron: (scowls) It's not funny!

Hermione: It was very funny!

Ron: (blushes) Yes, dear.

Kitty: Go San Diego! I so should just stay here, but hey, Drama Club and Forensics call at Rockville High... (sigh) I can't wait to see you. (gives you a hug)

Lina: Next is Setoglomper.

Kitty: (looks at Dobby) Well, Dobby?

Dobby: Dobby would feel slightly guilty if Dobby had to torment the young master Malfoy...

Kitty: (smiles) That's okay, dude. (looks at Harry) You think you could bring the D.A. over here?

Harry: Sure, I still have that enchanted Galleon Hermione made.

Kitty: Awesome with Lockhart...I just hope that those two dogs don't become friends or something...

Lockhart: (barking angrilly at the door to the third floor corridor)

Kitty: (sweatdrop) Uh, never mind, I don't think we'll need to worry about that.

Seto: That actually is an awesome question. (looks at Kitty) Well, Professor Carson?

Kitty: (grins evilly)

Lina: That means she has no comment.

Kara: Which could be taken to mean "yes."

Yugi: Or that she has a fanfic theory that is similar to it.

Kara: (raises an eyebrow) Really?

Yugi: (shrugs as he decorates the door with a moving picture of the Malfoy ferret bouncing up and down) Sometimes, anyway. We may never know.

Diana: And finally...Rainbow Guardian Angel!

Kitty: Good...I was a bit worried that Isis would never be brought back...and of course I like you guys.

Yugi: We all do. (smiles)

Atem: (sweatdrop) I was just taking a leaf out of Kitty's book: she calls a lot of people "Honey" or "Girl," or something like that.

Kitty: Friends, mostly. And actually, I was disappointed with HBP. There wasn't as much mystery as I would've liked...Snape being the Prince was so obvious it wasn't even funny, and the death was just a little sooner than I thought, but I knew it was going to happen. And as to Morfin...again, I barely know what I like about him: I just...do. (sweatdrop)

Lina: (takes Kitty's role of taking notes on Rainbow's Bash-a-thon plans)

Atem: Alright...we're all done.

Kitty: Wait: where's Malfoy?

Yugi: He's coming. (smirks)

Kitty: (looks into the corner where Lockhart was chained up) Hey...where's Lockhart?

Yugi: (smirk widens) He's getting Malfoy.

Malfoy: (runs into the room, being chased by Lockhart the Dog) AHHHH! GET THIS FREAK AWAY FROM ME! (jumps onto the chandelier to avoid getting his butt bitten off)

Lockhart: (barking at him from the floor)

Kitty: Well, now that that's all settled...let the Bash-a-thon begin!

Noa: Remember: if you have ideas for the Bash-a-thon that you haven't sent in or sent in before Chapter 21, please review with them on this chapter.

Atem: In other words, R&R!


	24. To Bash or Not to Bash?

**Malfoy-Lockhart Bash-a-Thon:**__

_Live from Disneyland Park, in Anaheim, California! _

Kitty: Hey, all, and welcome to the second annual Bash-a-thon! I'm the1koolkitty-

Engie: (waves) -and I'm egyptiankitty-

Kitty: -and we're your hosts for this wonderful celebration! Because I am in California and have finally met up with my online bud Engie in person, we have decided to work together to make this Bash-a-thon as unique and crazy as magically possible.

Engie: You know, we had problems deciding which ride to host this silly thing on.

Kitty: (nods) Our first choice was Pirates of the Caribbean, but unfortunately, the ride was experiencing technical difficulties…according to the authorities, it was all thanks to an Egyptian dude with his hair died pink…

Malik: (runs past, his hair a light pink and holding a bunch of wires and a mechanical parrot, a bunch of security guards running after him)

Engie: Then I suggested the Haunted Mansion, but Kaiba forbade it. (glares at Seto)

Seto: (glares back at Engie) You were the ones who insisted Mokuba come with us. You scared him half to death!

Engie: (raises an eyebrow) And _who_, pretell, was the one who purchased an evil eye afterwards as to protect himself from the ghosts?

Seto: (blushes furiously as he hides an evil eye necklace around his neck under his shirt)

Kitty: Then I suggested the Dumbo ride…

Harry: (from the sidelines) I liked that ride! It was almost as good as being on a broom! (smiles in an adorable, chibi-like way)

Kitty: …but a certain Gryffindor bookworm ended up wimping out on us. (rolls her eyes)

Hermione: (from the sidelines) You guys _know_ I'm afraid of heights! Why the heck did you even _suggest _that ride?

Ron: (next to Hermione) Well, it _was_ cute to see you cling onto me.

Hermione: (blushes)

Engie: Then I suggested the Indiana Jones Adventure ride-

Marik: (shakes his head) -and you scared Kitty half to death.

Kitty: (trembling from head-to-toe) No…trapped…snake…coming…eat me…help…

Yugi: (gives Kitty a nuzzle on the cheek) It's all right, Kitten: I promise, I'll never let anyone mention that ride again.

Kitty: (still shivering)

Engie: (sweatdrop) It seems that Kitty is temporarily unavailable to help with the next part of the story, so I'll just go on. After that fiasco, Ryou suggested a "milder" ride…

Ryou: (laughs his head off) It's a Small World. It drove my Yami crazy.

Bakura: (from the sidelines) HEY, THOSE DOLLS WERE READY TO KILL!

Engie: Yeah, and now Disneyland is ready to _sue_ us for not stopping you from jumping out of the boat and ripping the heads off those killer-dolls. (sweatdrop)

Marik: We were running out of rides, and when Tea the Bitch and my Pink-Haired Yami found themselves joining our group, we thought of the Enchanted Tiki Room.

Yugi: (holding Kitty close to help calm her down) We just left those two in there so they could finish strangling each other in their shared bout of madness brought out by the annoying Tiki Room song.

Ginny: Looking at the map, I suggested Space Mountain, since Kitty's scientist stepmother said she really enjoyed it.

Engie: We had Joey the mutt test it out…

Ryou: …which turned out to be a mistake.

Joey: (running around, pretending to be on a spaceship) SWOOSH! CRASH! ZOOM!

Everyone: (sweatdrop)

Seto: Then my stupid Yamisuggested Mickey's Toon Town.

Seito: (from the sidelines) Oh c'mon, Hikari-chan, how was _I_ supposed to know we'd run into Pegasus there?

Seto: Maybe because he's obsessed with toon rabbits and the first ride inside of Toon Town is Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin?

Seito: (sweatdrop) Oh…yeah, that's a good point.

Marik: Then I suggested Star Tours-

Kara: (from the sidelines and not pleased about it) Which I automatically said no to. You're obsessed enough with Star Wars, and I'm _not_ going to give Kitty's friend _another _excuse to glomp you.

Engie: (is indeed glomping Marik as we speak, a grin on her face)

Yugi: So right now Neko-chan, Engie-kun, Kaiba, Ryou, Ginny, Marik and I are all squished into a teacup on the Mad Hatter's Tea Party ride, ready to answer your reviews and activate your torture ideas on Malfoy the Ferret and Lockhart the Dog.

Kitty: Speaking of those two, where'd you put them, Engie?

Engie: (still glomping Marik) Look up.

Kitty: (looks up, and sweatdrops) You hung Malfoy off the top of the Matterhorn Bobsleds Mountain?

Engie: (shrugs) It's right there…and he's hanging by a bungee jumping cord, so whenever he tries to escape, the cord will stretch and bounce him face-first into the mountain.

Kitty: (grins evilly) You are a genius. And where's Lockhart?

Engie: (points to the now-chiming clock in the It's a Small World ride, and hanging the giant clock hands is a whining Lockhart)

Kitty: Why didn't I have you help me with the _first_ Bash-a-thon? (shrugs) Anyway, I think it's high time we start working on the reviewer bashing.

Yugi: Indeed. (picks up a box of basher reviews) Hey Ginny-kun, you want to pick the first name?

Ginny: Sure. (reaches over and picks a name out of the box) SGCred, a.k.a. Claire!

Kitty: (smiles) For this, we will need Malfoy first. Engie, will you do the honors?

Engie: Gladly. (pushes a button, and Malfoy falls from the top of the mountain)

Malfoy: AHHHHH- (is thrown face-first into the ground) _Ow_.

Kitty: And now… (looks over at Marik) Do you have the costume?

Marik: (grins evilly) Yep. (waves his wand in Malfoy's direction)

Malfoy: (suddenly in a ferret suit)…huh?

Engie: Ryou, do you have the trumpet?

Ryou: (grinning just like Marik) You bet. (blows the trumpet, and a ferret-hunting club appears with hunting dogs)

Malfoy: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (runs away as fast as he can, the club and barking dogs chasing after him)

Kitty: (looks at Engie) How long do you think it'll take for them to circle the park in a full loop?

Engie: I bet my fast past to Splash Mountain it'll be less than five minutes.

Kitty: I bet over.

Engie: (smirks) You're on!

Yugi: (sweatdrop) Alright, now it's time for Lockhart. (snaps his fingers and Lockhart appears on the ground)

Lockhart: (starts chasing a squirrel)

Kitty: (picks up the telephone) Hi, Puppy Beauty Boutique? Yes, a friend of mine scheduled an appointment for my dog, but I'd like to move the location to Disneyland, since I am not at my vacation home address. (pause) Gilderoy, but he may be marked as Lockhart on register. (pause) Yes, after the famous wizard writer. (pause) He's a purebred golden retriever. (pause) Thanks. (hangs up the phone)

Stylists: (appear two seconds later with loads of grooming equipment)

Lockhart: (snatched by the collar by the stylists while still trying to catch the squirrel) ARF!

Stylists: (snip, curl, wash, style, snip, snip, curl, dry, die, tie up, wash, condition, dry)

Lockhart: (looks like a poodle with pink bows in his curly, purple-streaked hair) _Woof_?

Engie: Now that he looks so nice he might get… (goes white)…get a girlfriend. (gives Kitty an anxious look)

Kitty: Don't worry: Claire made sure that even if Lockhart _does_ get a girlfriend, nothing will come out of it.

Vet: (comes out of nowhere with all sorts of doctor equipment) Alright, Gilderoy…time to get neutered.

Lockhart: (looks terrified, but in a dog way) BAAAAAAARK! (runs away as fast as he can on four legs)

Vet: HEY! Wait, doggy! Come back! (runs after him)

Yugi, Marik, Ryou and Ginny: (rolling over with laughter)

Engie: (grins broadly) Ah…that was great.

Malfoy: (runs past them, and starts climbing the Matterhorn Bobsled Mountain as to avoid the hunters and their dogs)

Seto: (looks at his watch) Five minutes exactly.

Kitty and Engie: _WHAT_?

Engie: But I bet _less_!

Kitty: And I bet _more_!

Yugi: (takes Engie's fast pass to Splash Mountain, smirking) Well then, it looks like neither of you are going on it. See you in a bit: I have to get on before the pass expires! (runs off)

Kitty and Engie: (both fuming)

Engie: Kitty, I am going to _seriously_ hurt your boyfriend when he gets back.

Kitty: Don't. I'll handle him _myself_.

Ryou: (sweatdrop) Can we _please_ pick the next name now?

Marik: I'll do it. (picks the next name out of the box) Zelda-Ally!

Kitty: (talks through a radio communicator) Alright, Basher A-45, you may now begin your descent.

(A helicopter lands right next to the teacup ride, and a group of muscular men come out, carrying huge boxes and loading them into the Storybook Land ride)

Lockhart: (runs past, before hiding in a bush to escape from the vet)

First Man: Miss Kitty, everything's set up.

Kitty: (smiles) Thanks a lot, Walt. Zelda-Ally will be delighted to know that all of her torture devices were shipped safely and arranged specially in a Disneyland ride.

First Man: It was my pleasure, Miss Kitty.

Second Man: Uh…Miss Engie?

Engie: Yeah?

Second Man: (takes out a piece of paper) May I have your autograph? It's for my daughter: she _loves_ your stories.

Engie: Oh, that's sweet. (takes out the piece of paper and signs it) There you go.

Second Man: Thank you so much, Miss Engie. Gina will be delighted. (boards the helicopter with the rest of the strong men and the copter flies away)

Kitty: Well…it seems that we need Malfoy and Lockhart to board the boat going into Storybook Land…but how are we going to do that?

Engie: I've got an idea. OH, MR. VEEEEEEEEEET!

Vet: (appears out of nowhere) Yes?

Lockhart: ARF! (runs away in fear and jumps into the boat)

Kitty: (grins) Awesomeness!

Seto: But what about Malfoy-baka? He doesn't look like he's going to come down from the mountain anytime soon.

Kitty: You've got a point there, Kaiba-kun. (frowns in thought)

Ginny: _Ooh_, I know! (whispers something in Kitty's ear)

Kitty: (grins evilly) You rock, girl! (whistles)

Abominable Snowman: (peaks its head out of a hole in the Matterhorn Mountain) RRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!

Malfoy: AHHHHH! (runs down the mountain and jumps into the boat)

Kitty: Hey, dude! Thanks for the help!

Abominable Snowman: No problem, Kitty! Anything to help with your Bash-a-thon!

Engie: What a nice Yeti. It's really too bad that not a lot of people get to meet him.

Kitty: Start the boat!

Ron: (pulls a lever to make the boat Malfoy and Lockhart are in move down the river and into the darkness of the giant whale's mouth) Sayonara, suckers!

(Screams, barks, high-pitched whistles and other creepy, torturing sounds come from the whale-mouth cave)

Kitty: It sounds like _they're_ having fun.

Yugi: (wandering back to the teacup, his face white)

Engie: (leers) Hi, Yugi. Had fun on Splash Mountain with _MY_ fast-pass?

Yugi: (shakes his head weakly, before leaning over the side of the teacup and throwing up)

Seto, Marik and Ryou: (look disgusted)

Kitty: _Oh_… (brings her sick bishie into her lap, kissing his face and cuddling him close to her chest) My poor Yugi-chan…

Malfoy and Lockhart: (come out of the Storybook Land ride, clothes ripped, avoiding the snakes trapped inside their boat and screaming at the top of their lungs)

Engie: (snaps her fingers, and the two are lifted out of the boat and dropped on the ground outside the teacup ride) Alright…next bashing.

Seto: (picks a name out of the box) How fitting that I end up picking Setoglomper.

Kitty: Very ironic. (looks at Harry) Well, dude? Is the D.A. ready?

Harry: Hey, Neville, you ready?

Neville: You bet, Harry! (yells) Alright, members…on your mark…get set…CHASE!

The Entire D.A.: (runs at Malfoy, yelling at the top of their lungs)

Malfoy: (eyes wide) NOT AGAIN! (runs down Main Street to try and lose the vengeful D.A. members)

Lockhart: (barking like a human would laugh)

Engie: I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Lockhart.

Kitty: Your bashing will start at the count of three.

Lockhart: (looks up in confusion) Woof?

Engie: (waves a hand in Lockhart's direction, throwing into Sleeping Beauty Castle) One.

Kitty: (snaps her fingers and all the castle exits are shut) Two.

Both: Three.

(Sounds of barking, growling and whining are heard from inside the castle)

Ryou: (looks at Ginny) Do _you_ know what's in there?

Ginny: (shakes her head) Marik?

Marik: (shakes his head) Kaiba?

Seto: (shakes his head) Yugi?

Yugi: (still burying his face into Kitty's chest) _Mrph_.

Kitty: (smirks) Hey, what better to give Lockhart a dog friend?

Engie: (smirks too) Who cares if he's outnumbered three-to-one?

Kitty: Both Fluffy and Lockhart will get a nice amount of exercise.

Marik: (looking scared) Uh…next review?

Ryou: I'd be glad to. (takes a name out of the box) Rainbow Guardian Angel!

Yugi: (smiles a little) Ah…it'll be good to see what she and Mizumi will be doing this time around.

Kitty: (stroking Yugi's hair) Yes, it will.

Malfoy: (barely escape from the D.A. members by hiding behind one of the teacups nearby the one where Kitty, Engie and the co-announcers are sitting) _Whew_…lucky that's over.

Rainbow: (appears out of nowhere, her mallet raised above her head) _DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEE_!

Malfoy: Oh, shit. (runs again, with Rainbow whacking him along the way) _OW_! _OW_, STOP THAT! _OW_! STUPID MUD…_OW_!

Lockhart: (stumbles out of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, his clothes trashed and scars all over his once-idolized face)

Atem: (on the sidelines, holding Kyte's machine gun, Isis) Ready, Mizumi?

Mizumi: (grins evilly as she holds up her flamethrower) Ready!

Lockhart: (jumps at the sight of the two evil-grinning Yamis) BARK! (runs for his life, a flamethrower burning and bullets shooting after him)

Kitty: (rolls her eyes at the sight of the crazy Pharaoh) I apologize, Kyte, for Atem _again_ stealing Isis, but it was requested by Mizumi that Atem use her to help bash Lockhart, so really, he had no choice. I shall get it back by the time they run around again.

Yugi: (picks a name from the box) Speaking of Kyte, her bashing is next.

Engie: How fitting.

Lockhart: (runs by, with Atem and Mizumi behind him)

Yugi: (snatches Isis out of Atem's hands and gives her back to Kyte) Alright, Yami-kun, that's enough.

Atem: (pouts) Aw…

Lockhart: (looks relieved) Woof.

(Kyte appears and whacks him so hard that Lockhart is smashed flat into the ground)

Lina: (from the sidelines, looking excited) Is Kyte's guess to the person in Bakura-chan's love life right, Kitty?

Kitty: (sighs) Unfortunately, no. Lina is not in my fic. The person has been mentioned: it's only her _past_ that has not gone into detail. Pretty good guess, though. Anyway, it's time for Kyte's bashing of the Malfoys.

Lina: (pouts) I _suppose_ you want me to go get Lucius?

Kitty: If you please.

Lina: (claps her hands, and Lucius appears in the middle of the road next to the teacup ride)

Lucius: What on _earth_-?

Malfoy: (runs right into Lucius trying to get away from Rainbow Guardian Angel) _Ah_! (sees Lucius) Oh…hey, Dad.

Lucius: (pushes Malfoy off of him) Draco, what the hell is going on here?

Malfoy: You're in the middle of Mutou's girlfriend's bashing party.

Lucius: (glares) Meaning?

Malfoy: A reviewer wants to do something bad to you. I've been chased three times already today.

Lucius: (smirks) I doubt that anyone would be able to do anything to me. Now, come along, Draco, let's get out of here.

Malfoy: (sweatdrop) Uh…Dad?

Lucius: (looking annoyed) _What_?

Malfoy: Mutou's girlfriend and her friend are authoresses.

Lucius: So?

Kitty: So anything Engie and I say _GOES_! (drenches Lucius and Malfoy in gravy)

Lockhart: (immediately jumps to is feet, 4-D once more) BARK! BARK, BARK!

Lucius: What the-?

Malfoy: Dad, I suggest you run.

Lucius: Why would I?

Malfoy: Because Lockhart thinks he's a dog and will try to eat you now that you smell like gravy.

Lucius: That's ridiculous, no one would- (Lockhart bites him in the butt) AH! MY ASS!

Malfoy: I TOLD YOU SO! (runs away, Lucius and Lockhart right behind him)

Engie: Well…I think _that_ taught Lucius a lesson about authoresses.

Kitty: (nods) Yeppers. (picks the final name from the box) Oh my! It seems that Blackcat16200 _also_ wishes to have some dogs chase Malfoy. Sadly, I'm not keeping up with Pokemon, but Fluffy _is_ still here, in Sleeping Beauty castle. (whistles)

Fluffy: (bounds over and rolls over on his back so that Kitty will scratch his belly)

Kitty: Hey there, Fluffy-chan. Wanna go chase a ferret?

Fluffy: (growls)

Kitty: Okay…go on and get 'im!

Fluffy: (runs to catch up with Lockhart, Lucius and Draco) WOOF! WOOF, WOOF!

Engie: I see that Lockhart and Fluffy can put aside their differences as to get back at Malfoy.

Teacup Ride Operator: Hey, kids! Your ride time is up! Get out so the other people in line can get on!

Yugi: (eyes turn to flames) SHUT UP AND LET MY KITTEN FINISH HER PARTY!

Kitty: (smiles) Alright, Yugi, don't scare the poor man too much. Anyway, thankies so much for your wonderful bashing, y'all!

Engie: (glomping Marik and earning a jealous glare from Kara) We had tons of fun using your ideas.

Kitty: Signing off: I'm the1koolkitty-

Engie: -and I'm egyptiankitty-

Kitty: -saying, "Until next fic, ja ne!"


End file.
